The International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI) research network examines how governance arrangements affect forests and the people who depend on them. Our goal is to carry out rigorous research that can help policy makers and forest users design and implement improved evidence-based forest policies. Click here to read more about our goals and research design.

The IFRI network is comprised of 14 Collaborating Research Centers (CRCs)  located around the globe. Our researchers use a common data collection method to ensure that sites can be compared across space and time. Our unique database contains information about biodiversity, livelihoods, institutions, and forest carbon for over 250 sites in 15 countries between 1992 and the present. Click here to read more about our research themes.

The IFRI research program was initiated by Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom in 1992. Elinor coordinated IFRI from Indiana University for 14 years. In 2006, IFRI’s administrative center moved to the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan, where it is currently housed under the coordination of Arun Agrawal.