500 green experts, scholars to attend maiden National Forest Congress

Kelly Kislaya | TNN

Ranchi: The state department of forest, environment & climate change is set to host the country's first-ever National Forest Congress 2026 in Ranchi. The three-day national event will see the participation of over 300 top forest officials and around 200 research scholars from across the country.

Principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Sanjeev Kumar said, “The event is set to be held from October 24 to 26 this year. A total of 12 thematic areas have been identified around which plenary lectures, technical sessions, and panel discussions will be organised.”

The identified thematic areas include forest genetics, governance, silviculture, GIS and remote sensing, biodiversity conservation, climate change, watershed management, agroforestry, forest economics, ecological restoration, AICRP research outputs, and wildlife management.

To maintain high academic standards, an editorial and publication committee will oversee all scientific publications and ensure the quality of abstracts and research papers. The department will release three distinct publication volumes covering screened abstracts, invited and lead-author papers, and plenary papers.

The date for abstract submission is August 15, abstract publication by September 15, and full paper submission by October 15. “A dedicated website will be developed to handle publicity, delegate registration, and the online submission of abstracts and full-length papers,” Kumar said.