The International Forestry Students’ Association has been very active since Fall of 2024, after our amazing leadership team revived the club after a short period of inactivity. With renewed vigor and ideas, IFSA has expanded the scope of our events and community outreach. Our events include visiting scholar lectures, fundraising campaigns (such as Dam Proud Day and Chipotle), and partnered potluck events with the International Programs Office every term. Additionally, we were very active during College of Forestry tabling events, such as Annual Ring, Beaver Community Fair, CoF Clubs Day, and Firs for Food Security. Our biggest, signature events included Forestry Around the World, Friendsgiving, and IFSS Indonesia 2025. We want to highlight the perspective of our leadership team and hear from Jill Aire, Christoph Anderson, and Ankit Koirala about their experiences leading IFSA and engaging in these events.
Our amazing IFSA leaders! From left to right, Christoph Anderson, Ankit Koirala, and Jill Aire.
2025 International Forestry Students’ Symposium in Indonesia
Written by Jill Aire, who has served as the President of IFSA LC OSU since Fall 2024.
The 2025 International Forestry Students’ Symposium (IFSS) is the world’s largest annual conference of forestry students organized by the International Forestry Students’ Association (IFSA) and attended by 80 members from more than 20 countries around the world. The 53rd IFSS was organized by IFSA Indonesia with the collaboration of four local committees: IFSA LC IPB, IFSA LC UGM, IFSA LC UNHAS, and IFSA LC ULM. The theme for this year was “Green Heroes: Fostering Youth Action towards Forest Multi Years Resources” and ran from August 16th to August 30th, 2025. Starting from Jakarta as the arrival spot, we traveled to Bogor, Yogyakarta, Makassar, and lastly Bali as the departure spot. IFSS 2025 featured six main activities: interactive workshops, IFSA General Assembly meetings, field visits, international night celebrating cultural diversity, IFSA auction, and grand symposium.
I had the opportunity to travel to IFSS Indonesia and represent the Oregon State University Local Committee (LC OSU). The symposium brought together students from all over the world, people studying forestry, ecology, conservation, and land management in places I had only ever read about. Within hours, I found myself surrounded by conversations in a dozen accents, all of us connected by this shared obsession with forests. It was both grounding and disorienting, and I realized quickly that while we all spoke with the same passion for forestry, the forests we came from, and the challenges we faced, were wildly different.
Our days were packed from the start. Mornings often began early, before the heat became overwhelming, with field visits into tropical forests that felt alive in a way I had never experienced. The biodiversity was almost unbelievable. It truly felt like stepping into a different world and every single living thing I saw was new to me. These ecosystems felt denser, louder, more complex than the forests in the PNW, like every inch of space was occupied and competing to survive. Afternoons were usually reserved for lectures, workshops, and group discussions. These were some of the most informative parts of the experience, as we heard from Indonesian experts, government representatives, fellow students, Indigenous communities, visiting scientists, and local residents. These formal spaces were fascinating, but it was the informal conversations that stayed with me. Sharing food, stories, experiences, passions, and motivations was one of the highlights of my time in Indonesia. It was powerful to realize that people from completely different cultural and geographic backgrounds had gathered at the same place, at the same time, and with the same capacity for caring deeply about forests and the future of the planet. The cultural experiences were just as impactful as the academic ones, as it was my first time in Indonesia, and in Asia in general. All the cultural dishes were new to me and I tried different fruits and vegetables I have never seen at home. One of the most interesting cultural aspects is that a vast majority of Indonesians are Muslim, and this has a huge impact on the cuisine, social interactions, and cultural observances. I learned about the religion directly from Indonesian students, and it was an unexpected yet incredibly enriching topic to explore.
One of the most unexpected events during the symposium were the protests that swept Indonesia in late August 2025. These were some of the largest and most intense the country had seen in decades, as they were driven by a mix of economic frustration, political anger, and growing distrust in government institutions. Public outrage erupted when it became widely known that members of parliament (national government) were receiving large housing allowances, reportedly far exceeding average wages, at a time when many Indonesians were struggling with rising living costs, food security, and unemployment. Students, labor groups, and activists, reaching over 200,000+ protestors, took to the streets demanding anti-corruption measures, accountability for political elites, and structural changes to policing and governance. A turning point came on August 28, 2025, when a young motorcycle taxi driver, Affan Kurniawan, was killed after being run over by a police vehicle during a protest. His death transformed the demonstrations, as many Indonesians were outraged by the many videos showing his death and the lack of police remorse. What had been largely peaceful in many areas escalated rapidly into violence, with clashes between protesters and police intensifying. Government buildings were set on fire in cities like Makassar, where we currently were for the end of IFSS. We were able to access the roof of our hotel and we watched as the regional representative building went up in flames. It was hard to believe, as we silently watched the building collapse, and unfortunately learned that there were several people trapped inside the blaze, resulting in three deaths and five serious injuries. In total, as of 31 August 2025, 37 local parliament buildings in different regions have been destroyed or damaged during the protests and thousands of protestors were detained by police. This highlighted a critical juncture in Indonesia, where economic stress, political distrust, and youth activism all collided and forced the country to confront uncomfortable questions about its future.
While the protests were obviously not a planned part of the IFSS experience, it demonstrated that Indonesians are willing to stand up for their rights, and the youth action and engagement was a huge aspect of the success of these protests. The protests forced a response, as President Prabowo Subianto pledged to roll back some controversial perks for lawmakers and developed a short-term and long-term strategy for addressing inequalities. The bravery of young Indonesians to stand up for their rights aligned heavily with the theme of “Green Heroes” and it inspired me to be more politically active upon return to the United States. I brought home not just knowledge about tropical forestry in Indonesia, but a deeper sense of global interconnectedness, a stronger awareness of my greater purpose, and a network of passionate people who remind me that this work, no matter how complex or overwhelming, is something very powerful and important to share on an international scale.
Friendsgiving 2025
Written by Christoph Anderson, who has served as the Treasurer of IFSA LC OSU since Spring 2025.
Thanksgiving is such an awkward time in the school year. It’s near finals, and many people are taking a head start on heading home before winter break. But many of us are stuck in Corvallis. Many of us can’t go home to spend time with family and friends. The feeling of loneliness and homesickness gets worse for us in this time, and that’s especially felt for our international students. So, we at IFSA, alongside our sisters at IAAS (International Association of Agricultural Students), decided to make a change. The College of Forestry has a sizable international graduate student population, and we thought to ourselves, “What if we had our own Thanksgiving? What if we had our own celebration of friends and family right here in Corvallis?” And thus, the idea of Friendsgiving came to be.
Our initial plan was to have it be a potluck type deal where everyone would bring their own dish from their culture. We later decided that it, although fun, would be too hectic for the type of event we were planning. So, with the combination of funding we got from this being a joint event, we bought a lot of the “Thanksgiving-type foods” like cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and of course, turkey. Some of us brought foods to join in as well. I had a fun time making pies for the event because when I was back home, that was the thing I always did. It was my connection to home. Although we didn’t have the diversity of foods we initially planned, it kept things to a traditional American Thanksgiving. It was an even playing field so we could all connect.
The event itself was one of the best moments of my time at OSU. It initially started out as a small bunch, which was fine because of the technical issues we had with the food situation. It was a bit of a struggle to get things going, but the connection the team and I had made everything not stressful. But soon, more and more people came. We had to consistently set up more tables because of how many people were coming. International students from not just the College of Forestry but across OSU came to our event and joined in the festivities. I remember sitting on the top steps in Peavy Hall and just watching. There were so many people from so many cultures talking and having fun with each other. Everyone was enjoying food and company, and even playing games. I was so happy that it didn’t even pass me by until the very end that I didn’t get to try any of my pie! This was exactly the vibe we wanted out of the event. In total, we had over 150 attendees to an event we thought was going to be small. We initially intended to give any leftovers to a local food bank, but we ran out within the first 45 minutes of the event! It was such a success, and I’m so glad I got to be a part of this.
I’m not an international student. I will be an international student in the future in Australia, and I will be thinking about this. I’ll be in a place without a standard all-American Thanksgiving and far away from my family. But this event gives me hope for what I can do in the future. I can make friends in my new place and make something like this again. That connection, that feeling of home in a place so far away, that feeling of friendship and teamwork is something I think can be created anywhere with enough drive. We hope that in the future, we can make this event a signature event so that we can continue having a home for our international students. If we can keep this sense of community going, then we will have done a great job as IFSA.
Forestry Around the World 2026
Written by Ankit Koirala, who has served as the Secretary of IFSA LC OSU since Spring 2025.
As a student from Nepal and representing an international community here at Oregon State University, I have always been “Dam Proud” of being involved with International Forestry Student Association (IFSA), OSU Chapter. This voluntary based student club is a common platform where we all the members from different cultures with different and unique values come together and share our much-valued experiences. IFSA is not only a homely refuge but also a congregation of academic rigor. It is a place where curiosity is nurtured and diversity is respected.
One of the most memorable events IFSA conducted was “Forestry Around the World 2026”. The event brought together students, faculties and forest lovers from across the OSU and celebrated the global perspectives of forestry, explored international forest cultures and ignited rich cross-cultural discourse. There were five different presentations representing five different countries, Nigeria, Mexico, Nepal, Iceland and New Zealand. The presenters shared a plethora of information and personal stories related to the forestry and forest-culture in the respective countries. The presentations and the discussions that followed were rich. The impression about the event was enhanced by mouth-watering International Mexican Cuisine. The food spiced up the cultural warmth and celebration.
IFSA is a club of unparalleled opportunities to showcase your talent, hone your leadership skills and involve in the community engagement and service. Through guest lectures, tabling events, fairs, internship referrals and other networking opportunities, IFSA helps its members to shape and equip themselves to excel in competitive forestry careers. IFSA heartily welcomes students of all diversity to get involved and experience firsthand the magical power of transformation being a part of the global forestry community. IFSA indeed is with no borders.
IFSS Nigeria 2026
For the International Student Symposium in 2026, Nigeria is the destination! Stay tuned for future stories about IFSS Nigeria from students. This symposium will run from August 16-31 and we are hoping to have several representatives from LC OSU! Check out this presentation to learn more: IFSS Nigeria 2026 Presentation
Event Posters from IFSA!
