IFSA, the International Forestry Students' Organisation, is a non political, non religious and non for profit organisation. IFSA has developed in the last 33 years to its current status as a worldwide organisation bringing together forestry students from all over the world in a wide spectrum of activities.

•   To enrich the formal education of forestry students, especially in terms of a wider and international perspective

•   To contribute to a more complete professional preparation for its members

•   To promote co-operation amongst forestry students and the professional forestry sector

•   To encourage improvements in Higher Education internationally

•   To stimulate cultural understanding

•   Extracurricular activities promoting exchange of experiences and information such as the International Forestry Students’ Symposium (IFSS)

•   Seminars

•   Exchange programmes

•   Publication of IFSA News

•   Partnership with international organisations (EFI, IUFRO, CFA)

It all began with an annual meeting of forestry students: the International Forestry Students Symposium (IFSS). in 1973, and it was held there for thirteen years. The goal was to provide forestry students with a platform where they could meet their counterparts from other countries, discuss their ideas and views and create an atmosphere of solidarity and inspiration. During the following years the symposium attracted more and more students.

The first accomplishment of these meetings was the creation of INFOCENTER; an office established to co-ordinate the exchange of information among forestry students. During the 18th IFSS in Lisbon, Portugal in 1990, the participants decided to expand the co-operation between forestry students beyond the annual symposium. At the constitutional assembly of IFSA, the founding member associations approved provisional statutes and elected the first representative organs. INFOCENTER was relocated and took on the official role as IFSA's communicative and informational organ. The following year, the 19th IFSS was organised in the Netherlands. This symposium turned out to be a great success with 112 participants from 38 countries; it was the first time that students from all continents were represented. The following symposium was organised in Italy (1992). Here the third General Assembly (GA) designated a central organ, the Secretariat, to be responsible for the association's bureaucratic tasks, internal communications and all INFOCENTER duties. The Secretariat, thus, fully assumed its role as IFSA headquarters.

IFSA became a truly world-wide organisation when the new statutes were finally approved in 1994 at the fifth GA during the 22nd IFSS in Switzerland. The association was officially registered as a charity organisation with its seat in Göttingen, Germany.

Five years later, with the adoption of the revised Statutes, Decrees and By-laws, the general assembly moved the seat to Freiburg, Germany.

(source: www.ifsa.net)

For further information about IFSA please visit www.ifsa.net.