PEAT NEWS
Newsletter for members and friends of the International Peat Society
No 3/2014, 9 April 2014
The IPS is an organisation of corporate and individual members dedicated to the responsible management and Wise Use of peatlands and peat. It
promotes the gathering, exchange and communication of knowledge and experience. The Society serves all those interested in peat and peatlands
including the scientific, industrial and commercial, and regulatory communities. It respects the economic, social and environmental values of the
peatland resource. Currently the IPS has more than 1,500 individual and institutional members from 44 countries.
Hannu Salo new Secretary General of the IPS
The International Peat Society has successfully finalised the recruiting process for a
new Secretary General. Mr. Hannu Salo will start working for the IPS Secretariat on a
part-time basis by 1 May 2015. In addition to his new position, he is Regional
Manager at the Bioenergy Association of Finland (www.bioenergia.fi), but has also
much experience of peat production, silviculture, education, stakeholder engagement
and nature conservation. He holds a Masters degree on Peatland Forestry from
Helsinki University and a Diploma in Professional Forestry Education and Training.
From 2007 to 2012 Mr Salo has worked, among others, for the Association of Finnish
Peat Industries, and he served also on the Board of Suoseura, the Finnish Peatland
Society. Hannu can be reached at hannu.salo (at) peatsociety.org and by mobile
phone +358 40 056 7538, and he will be glad to meet you in Riga. The IPS was looking for a new Secretary General
after Jaakko Silpola resigned in September 2013. From October to April his tasks were taken care of by
Communications Manager Susann Warnecke in close cooperation with the IPS Executive Board.
Welcome to our Commission workshops in Riga in August!
During the Annual Convention of the IPS in Riga, we have reserved the full Tuesday (and partly Wednesday) for
Commission activities. The ten IPS Commissions will hold meetings, seminars and excursions which can be attended by
all guests of the conference. So far, on the list are the following opportunities:
•
Commission I - Stratigraphy, inventory and conservation of peatlands & Commission V - Restoration,
rehabilitation and after-use of peatlands:
Joint session and excursion: “Peatland Restoration in practice” (Chair Lars Lundin), 26 - 27 August
•
Commission II - Utilisation of peat and peatlands for horticulture, energy and other economic purposes:
Meeting and workshops for IPS’ industrial members (Gerald Schmilewski)
•
Commission III - Agricultural use of peatlands and peat:
Seminar “Drained organic soils – responsible management” (Barbara Kalisz)
•
Commission VI - Peat balneology, medicine and therapeutics:
Seminar “New results of balneological research and international collaboration in healthcare” (Leena Larva
& Riitta Korhonen)
•
Commission VIII - Cultural aspects of peat and peatlands:
Seminar and excursion “Value and use of peatlands for education” (Michiel Gerding)
•
Commission IX - Tropical peatlands:
Meeting with vision for and details of the scientific programme for IPC15 in Kuching in 2016 (Lulie Melling)
The International Peat and Technology Symposium will be held in Riga, Latvia for the full week of 25 - 29 August
2014. All IPs members and friends are welcome to attend. This year’s event is combined with the traditional Baltic
Peat Forum and offers you and your co-workers great benefit with presentations on all kinds of peat management,
knowledge and practical experience and the science behind. The Symposium is devoted to “Peat in the 21st Century:
International Peat Society
Kauppakatu 19 D 31, FIN-40100 Jyväskylä
www.peatsociety.org ips (at) peatsociety.org
susann.warnecke (at) peatsociety.org
sandra.lubinaite (at) peatsociety.org
www.facebook.com/peatsociety
mobile: +358 40 418 4075
skype: peatsociety.org
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