INFOR (Instituto Forestal)
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| INFOR (Instituto Forestal) | |
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| Name | INFOR (Instituto Forestal) |
| Native name | Instituto Forestal |
| Formation | 1971 |
| Headquarters | Santiago, Chile |
| Region served | Chile |
INFOR (Instituto Forestal) is a Chilean public research institution dedicated to forestry science, forest management, silviculture, and conservation in Chile and Latin America. It conducts applied research, provides technical assistance, and produces data and publications to support policy and practice involving native forests, plantations, biodiversity, and forest products. INFOR interacts with national agencies, universities, research institutes, and international organizations across forestry, environmental, and agricultural fields.
History
INFOR was established amid policy changes influenced by leaders and institutions such as Salvador Allende, Augusto Pinochet, CONAF, Dirección de Bosques, Ministry of Agriculture (Chile), Corporación Nacional Forestal and Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica. Its development paralleled initiatives in the Food and Agriculture Organization and collaborations with United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and regional programs like PROBECUADOR and Programa de Desarrollo Territorial. INFOR’s institutional trajectory intersected with research centers including Universidad de Chile, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Universidad Austral de Chile, INIA, and international laboratories such as CIFOR, CATIE, CSIRO, Forest Research (UK), and USDA Forest Service. Over decades INFOR contributed to responses to events and policies tied to Valdivia earthquake, Mapuche conflict, Ley de Bosques, Ley de Medio Ambiente (Chile), and initiatives under Agenda 2030 and Convention on Biological Diversity.
Mandate and Functions
INFOR’s mandate encompasses applied research, technical extension, inventory, and advisory roles aligned with statutes similar to those framing Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero and Ministerio del Medio Ambiente (Chile). It provides forest inventories, growth and yield studies, genetic improvement programs, and restoration methodologies used by stakeholders including Forest Stewardship Council, Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, National Forestry Corporation (Chile), CMPC, Arauco (company), MASISA, and smallholder associations in regions such as Los Lagos Region, Araucanía Region, Biobío Region, and Magallanes Region. INFOR issues technical standards referenced by courts, regulatory bodies, and private sector actors like Sodimac, Codelco, ENAP, and infrastructure projects associated with Ruta 5 and Puerto Montt.
Organizational Structure
The institute is organized into research divisions, regional offices, and administrative units reflecting models used by institutions like CONICYT and CORFO. Leadership comprises a director or directorate appointed through processes comparable to posts in Ministerio de Agricultura (Chile) and accountable to oversight entities similar to Comisión de Hacienda (Chile). Research groups mirror thematic programs found at Universidad de Concepción, INIA Quilamapu, and Universidad de La Frontera, collaborating with centers like Centro de Estudios Ambientales and institutes such as Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad. Regional coordination involves local governments including Intendencia de Los Lagos and municipal partners like Municipality of Temuco.
Research and Programs
INFOR conducts programs on silviculture, afforestation, native forest restoration, carbon accounting, wood technology, and fire management that interface with projects by ProChile, Programa REDD+, Global Environment Facility, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, European Union, International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, and World Resources Institute. Themes include studies on species such as Eucalyptus globulus, Pinus radiata, Nothofagus pumilio, Araucaria araucana, Alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides), and work on pests and pathogens like Sirex noctilio, Dothistroma septosporum, Phytophthora cinnamomi, and Hylastinus ligniperda. Programs address ecosystem services, biomass energy, non-timber forest products, restoration linked to Ramsar Convention, Bonn Challenge, Aichi Targets, and climate policy frameworks like Paris Agreement. Methodological work draws on remote sensing and modeling tools from Landsat, Sentinel-2, MODIS, LiDAR, R packages, and collaborations with groups at NASA, NOAA, ESA, INPE, and University of Maryland.
Publications and Data Resources
INFOR issues technical reports, manuals, forest inventories, growth models, and datasets used by academics and practitioners alongside outputs from Revista Chilena de Historia Natural, Bosque (journal), Forest Ecology and Management, Journal of Forestry, Ecological Applications, and repositories like Figshare, Zenodo, Dryad, and national data systems paralleling CONAF and Dirección Meteorológica de Chile. Its datasets inform national forest inventory comparisons with international datasets maintained by FAOSTAT, Global Forest Watch, and IPCC assessment inputs. Publications include silvicultural guides, seed transfer guidelines, and carbon estimation protocols adopted by certification schemes such as ISO 14064.
Collaborations and Partnerships
INFOR partners with universities including Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Universidad de Talca, Universidad Diego Portales, international research organizations like CIFOR, CATIE, CSIRO, US Forest Service, University of Cambridge, and funding agencies such as Fondecyt, Fondo Europeo, NIH (for health-linked studies), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (rural development links), and corporate partners including Arauco (company), CMPC. It engages with NGOs and civil society actors like WWF Chile, Conservation International, Greenpeace, Fundación para la Promoción y Desarrollo de la Araucanía, and indigenous organizations such as Mapuche associations and Consejo de Todas las Tierras.
Impact and Controversies
INFOR’s work has influenced plantation management, native forest conservation, and national policy, affecting stakeholders from multinational firms like Stora Enso to smallholder cooperatives and regional administrations in Araucanía. Controversies have arisen over research on exotic species such as Eucalyptus, land-use changes tied to companies like Forestal Mininco, debates involving Mapuche land rights, and tensions appearing in policy processes alongside actors such as Comisión Asesora Presidencial. Criticism has targeted relationships with industry, transparency of funding similar to disputes faced by CONAF and Ministerio de Agricultura (Chile), and responses to forest fires linked to events like the 2017 Chile wildfires and policy discussions involving Emergencia Agrícola. Supporters point to contributions to restoration projects under Bonn Challenge and carbon initiatives under UNFCCC.
Category:Research institutes in Chile Category:Forestry in Chile