Challenges and Opportunities for the rural landowners’ association of Wallonia in Belgium

In keeping with its mission, the International Family Forestry Alliance (IFFA) has launched a series of webinars intended for the managers of woodlot owners’ associations around the world. Managers often deal with similar issues but have few opportunities to share their experiences with their international counterparts. These webinars attempt to bridge this gap by providing a forum for managers to exchange information and discuss issues.

Each webinar generally involves a brief presentation (25 minutes) by a guest speaker on the forest owners’ associations in the region and the issues they face. Afterward, the moderator will lead participants in a 25-minute discussion. These webinars are held on the Zoom platform, which most people find easy to use. Four webinars are planned in 2021 and participation is free of charge.

Our next guest speaker, Frédéric Petit, will introduce us to the Challenges and Opportunities for the rural landowners’ association of Wallonia in Belgium. Frédéric Petit is the current president of Nature, Terres et Forêts (Nature, Lands and Forests), the rural landowners’ association in Wallonia, Belgium. A forest engineer with expertise in forest management, he graduated from the Catholic University of Leuven. He has 35 years of experience in managing forests in not only Belgium but also France and Luxembourg, currently overseeing 15,000 ha of private forests of all sizes. Frédéric Petit is also head of the forest and wood industry section of the rural division (Pôle Ruralité) of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council of Wallonia, a political advisory body in the Wallonia region of Belgium. He has also participated in a number of advisory missions to other European countries, primarily in central Europe.

Managers of forest owners’ associations who wish to participate in the webinar must provide their name and affiliation by sending an email to [email protected]   An automatic reply will be sent with the information required to connect to the webinar. Participants must register prior to each webinar.

This webinar will be held in English.