ISTF has over 1600 global members worldwide in 102 countries. We currently have expressions of interest to form 44 local chapters. In the map above from January 2020, blue dots represent expressions of chapter formation interest, red dots represent chapters in formation, and yellow dots represent existing chapters.

ISTF History:

The International Society of Tropical Foresters was founded in 1950 by Tom Gill, who was joined by foresters throughout the world “to facilitate the transfer of information on the management, protection, and wise use of tropical forests”. The dedication of leaders like Warren Doolittle and Frank H. Wadsworth instilled in ISTF a passion for tropical forests and a determination to protect and enhance the resource. From the beginning, ISTF has strived to connect practitioners in the field with up-to-date information on forestry and to link them to others with similar interests. Loyal members have fond memories from over the decades of the newsletters and the esprit de corps that ISTF has inspired. For more information on the previous ISTF generation, and relevant information, please see the historical website.

Largely powered by devoted volunteers, ISTF has had its ups and downs, with dormancies from 1972-1980 and 2012-2017. But with its reinitiation in 2017, ISTF can take full advantage of the wealth of online resources now available on tropical forests and forestry, to promote best practices around the world. In the current global environment, the threats to tropical forests and their inhabitants are accelerating, making ISTF ever more relevant. At present, ISTF has about 1600 members in 102 countries.