An audience of 2,500 people from more than 90 countries. More than 1,200 research projects presented in five plenary sessions, 19 subplenary sessions, 172 technical sessions, 350 scientific sessions, 1,648 oral presentations, and 1,200 posters. These are some of the key numbers from the 25th World Congress of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), the largest forest research event in the world, which was held for the first time in Latin America in Curitiba, Brazil. Over a period of seven days, scientists, researchers, teachers, students, and professionals in the forest sector discussed forest research and the role of the sector in sustainable development. The next congress will take place in 2024, in Stockholm, Sweden. Yeda de Oliveira, a researcher from Embrapa Florestas and vice-president of the IUFRO 2019 Organizing Committee, said that the main outcome of this important event is the large number of connections made between researchers, as well as the opportunity for partnerships and exchange of experiences. To reinforce the importance of this encounter, she recalled that Curitiba had not hosted a congress with attendees from so many different countries since the 8th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-8) in 2006. "Here we laid the foundations for the bridge we wanted to build between different institutions, countries, and people. The international connection was amazing. There are great expectations for joint projects now, as well as the possibility that people can use the data that were presented. This is very interesting and certainly the relationship between Brazil and the IUFRO is now stronger," she said. Oliveira also mentioned the importance of the exhibition held at the event, which she described as very unifying, since it presented the traditional forest companies and book publishers but also provided participants a chance to visit a fair focused on social and biological diversity, with Brazil’s biomes represented not only by plants, but also by the people who live in the rural areas within these biomes. "These people showed attendees their everyday realities. This means we can better understand the complexity of the Brazilian forest environment," she added. Edson Tadeu Iede, director-general of Embrapa Florestas, one of the entities that organized the event, said that the congress was an opportunity for researchers from Brazil and neighboring countries to interact with their peers from Europe, Asia, and North and Central America. He stressed that this exchange of knowledge brings synergy between studies, which helps facilitate research. "We often do not have the basic information, so everything needs to be developed entirely. But this basic information could be found in studies by the people who attended, and this can help us in our own work. I believe that we have reached our goal of connecting people. We fulfilled our role, making it the best possible, and this strengthens the sector as a whole and Brazil as well," he said. John Parrota, the new president of IUFRO 2024, praised the organization of the meeting, saying that the news that Brazil would host the event was received with enthusiasm, since everyone who is interested in forests wants to visit the country. Now he invites everyone to the 2024 edition of the event in Sweden. "Each congress is different, and I am sure we will have a great event in 2024," he said. Ceremony The closing ceremony of the 25th IUFRO World Congress was held on Saturday afternoon, October 5. Valdir Colatto, director of the Brazilian Forest Service (SFB), which also organized the event, said that the week was very rich and provided a chance to learn more about programs from Brazil and other countries on conservation, management, and sustainable use of forests. "The SFB was represented by 35 professionals who left with a new vision to improve public policies for the forestry sector. The Brazilian government is honored by the outstanding success of this congress, which surely will go down in IUFRO history," he said. Jerry Vanclay, chairman of the event’s scientific committee, said that taking care of the land is a central theme for the researchers, and was also the topic of many discussions during the week. He mentioned that the participants’ concern with the environment led many to sign the declaration produced during the congress, which emphasizes sharing and maintaining scientific methods and knowledge to guide wise forest management. "There was a lot of discussion and knowledge exchange, which helped strengthen our research network. We need to understand that it is our responsibility to take care of the earth for the future. The young people of the planet have already seen this, and are demanding that we be more careful with the world. By signing this declaration, called 'Forest science for the future,' the participants show their commitment to the environment and to sustainable development,” he stated. Mike Wingfield, departing president of IUFRO, noted in his speech that human activities have placed unprecedented pressure on forests. He said that the lectures throughout the event showed that the environmental crisis and climate change are dominant issues and are behind every aspect of forest science today. "We have enthusiastically watched the delegates express their commitment to the environment by signing the declaration written by members of our scientific committee. This shows that forest scientists are prepared to find solutions to the threats facing the world. This is thought to be the most important outcome of this congress," he said. During the ceremony, Wingfield passed the presidency of IUFRO to John Parrota, who will head the organization from 2019 to 2024. Parrota underscored richness of planet Earth and recalled that forests, with all their diversity, are vitally important to the world, supporting the needs of the population and providing various goods and services such as timber, food, and medicine, in addition to environmental benefits such as carbon storage, nutrient recycling, water, and air purification. He also mentioned that the world is facing enormous challenges, which have major implications for forests. For this reason, we need to do more and improve. "I will work to encourage more collaboration between us to evolve in our research capacity. We will continue connecting science, forests, and people for a better world," he stressed. Stockholm 2024 To close the event, Johanna Brismar Skoog, Sweden’s ambassador to Brazil, and Fredrik Ingemarson, president of the 2024 Congress Organizing Committee, received the official flag of the event from Yeda de Oliveira and Joberto de Freitas, who symbolically passed the baton to the next host country. Ambassador Skoog said that Curitiba was an excellent choice for the 25th Congress, adding that in her opinion, the city is the greenest and cleanest in Brazil. She underscored that forests are important for the country as well as for Sweden, and have fundamental value for the international community precisely because of the challenges of climate change and global warming. "Sweden had a high degree of deforested land in the nineteenth century, but today forests cover 70% of the country. We also have a strong scientific tradition and a prize that places forest research at an international level. It is an honor for Sweden to host the 26th Congress, and we hope to see you all there," she said.