Hutton researcher awarded for outstanding contributions to sustainable forestry
Professor Maria Nijnik, a senior researcher from The James Hutton Institute, Scotland’s leading interdisciplinary research organization for sustainable land, crop and nature management, has been granted a Distinguished Service Award for her significant contributions to furthering the scientific, technical, and organizational aims of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO).
Uniting 630 corporate members and 15,000 individual researchers across more than 115 countries, IUFRO promotes a sustainable future for forests and society.
Professor Nijnik has contributed to IUFRO activities for more than two decades, and especially to Division 4on forest assessment, modelling and management. In 2010-2019, she was a deputy coordinator for the Working Party 4.05.02 on managerial economics. In 2019, together with colleagues, Dr Nijnik established the Working Party 4.05.05 “Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship”. She brought the IUFRO Scientific Achievement Award to The James Hutton Institute in 2019.
Currently,Professor Nijnik coordinates the IUFRO work on social innovationandentrepreneurship and co-leads the launched in 2025 Task Force (TF) 52 “Forest Living Labs for Sustainable Climate Adaptation”–FORLIVS. Additionally, she contributed to the establishment in 2025 of the TF49 on post-conflict forest landscape restoration and TF48 on gender equity, diversity, and inclusion.
The IUFRO Distinguished Service Award is a major milestone, marking the recognition of Professor Nijnik’s professionalism, research excellence and commitment to the delivery of science-based solutions that benefit forests and communities worldwide.
Professor Nijnik will physically receive the award during her next meeting with the IUFRO.
She said, “I am pleased, honoured, and deeply grateful for this prestigious award. And I would like to say that my efforts have always been collaborative. This is a joint achievement. Teams and colleagues, in Scotland, the UK and beyond, I worked with, supported and inspired me, and this award belongs to us all.”
