Peter Beattie MP, Premier of Queensland 
It is fitting that Queensland — Australia’s Smart State — is hosting the XXII International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) World Congress

Forest-related issues of a cultural, social, environmental or economic nature will be central in discussions at the World Congress — especially given its theme of Forests in the Balance: Linking Tradition and Technology.

Having the Congress here also acknowledges Queensland’s investment in research and development and dovetails well with the IUFRO being the world's oldest and largest international voluntary institution concerned with collaborative forest research.
Added to this it is the first time IUFRO has held its world congress in the southern hemisphere.
The congress will provide an unparalleled opportunity for our production and environmental forestry researchers to interact with the world’s leading forest scientists.
Queensland — Australia’s gateway to Asia — is also an ideal location because of the excellent range of production forestry, recreation resources and conservation sites located within easy distance of the congress venue.
While in Queensland I encourage delegates to make the most of this opportunity to visit our great vast State and take in one of the world’s most spectacular destinations.
The international forestry community will be given a unique insight into one of Australia’s most topical and engaging forestry leaders when Tricia Caswell presents a Keynote Address on Saturday 13 August.
Ms Caswell, Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI), began her working life as a teacher at secondary, TAFE and tertiary levels. She became one of the nation's first women trade union leaders; was secretary of the Teachers Trade Union of Victoria an elected industrial officer at the Victorian Trades Hall Council, and a member of the ACTU Executive. From 1992 to 1995 Tricia held the position of Executive Director of the Australian Conservation Foundation.
From here she went on to be the Executive Director of PLAN International Australia, an international aid and development organisation and then the Founding Executive Director of the Global Sustainability Institute at RMIT University, from 2000 – June 2004.