On behalf of the organizing committee, it is our privilege to invite you to attend the 2018 International Conference on Protective Forests (Shelterbelts, Windbreaks, and Water & Soil Conservation Forests)—Commemorate the 40th anniversary of Three-North Afforestation Program (ICPF 2018)! The conference will be held during August 1-5, 2018 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, P.R. China. We are honored to host this event and look forward to your participation.

The theme of the ICPF 2018 is “Developing Protective Forests, Promoting the Construction of Ecological Civilization,” a very timely and thought-provoking topic for scientists, practitioners, policy-makers, and students working on protective forests. A protective forest is generally defined as the forest that is managed for providing protective functions to landowners and the society. Protective forests have been constructed worldwide to prevent or reduce the damage from natural disasters (e.g., desertification, water and soil loss, and extreme wind), to protect the infrastructures, to promote the regional economic and environmental well-being, and to maintain the regional ecological balance. 

China has the largest amount of protective forests in the world, largely due to the contribution from the Three-North Afforestation Program (the Green Great Wall) initiated in 1978 in the west of Northeast China, the north of North China and Northwest China. Constructing and managing the protective forests have been the most important part of building green “One Belt and One Road.” Moreover, constructing and managing protective forests have become the important contents of “ecological civilization construction” in China, which have also contributed significantly to the global ecological civilization and the improvement of the human living environment.

The ICPF 2018, jointly organized by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the State Forestry Administration of China, will provide an ideal forum for participants to exchange the latest information, advances, and achievements in the protective forest research and development. Chinese forestry scientists are especially looking forward to continuing and strengthening scientific exchange and cooperation with their counterparts throughout the world. We are confident that your presence at the ICPF 2018 will be productive and mutually beneficial. Moreover, you will have a great chance to appreciate the Great Green Wall and Chinese culture up close and personal. We expect that you all will leave the conference having shared ideas, having contributed to the body of knowledge concerning protective forests, and having made friends and contacts for future research. 

On behalf of the organizing committee, we warmly welcome you to the ICPF 2018 and look forward to meeting you in Shenyang.