Stichting Probos, Probos Foundation

Probos is an independent non-profit institute for forestry, forest products and services. Probos strives for a sound balance between the different forest services and values and a sustainable financial basis for forest management. Probos' main fields of expertise are: sustainable forest management, afforestation, cultural heritage in forests, biomass production and procurement, timber market, certification of SFM and CoC, Green Public Procurement and specialised ICT services (forest data). Through applied research, pilot projects, information activities (seminars, field excursions, websites, books and articles) Probos enhances the know-how and awareness on these issues in the forestry and timber sector in the Netherlands and abroad. By collecting, analysing and summarizing vital (market) information Probos want to ensure that the social debate on sustainable forest management is based on reliable facts and figures. Probos is the official Dutch National Correspondent for various international institutions and has therefore an extensive network of international contacts with amongst others UNECE, FAO, ITTO, timber traders, wood processing industry, timber trade associations, forest owner associations and (international) NGO´s. Furthermore, it is the aim of Probos to promote innovations in forest management, afforestation, forest plantations, wood processing industry and biomass (upstream). Probos works on its mission by conducting projects initiated by themselves or in assignment of third parties, using its extensive expertise and network. Probos is located in Wageningen, the Netherlands, employs 9 people of which 7 are advisors dealing with the different fields of expertise. Six of them have a master degree in (tropical) forestry and nature management and one has a bachelor degree in forest and nature management. Since 1965 Probos and its predecessors have been working on forestry and the timber market in the Netherlands and abroad.