The IFRI research program was initiated in 1992 at Indiana University to address issues such as :
 determining how to change processes leading to deforestation in many countries of the world ;
 assessing what types of institutions are associated with sustainable forest practices ; and
 helping policymakers and forest users to design more effective forest policies.

IFRI provides a way for people to collect, store, and analyze data over time about forests and the communities that use forests. It can be used to :

 conduct baseline studies ;
 measure change over time in forest conditions and in local governance structures ; and
 share information with pertinent and interested colleagues ;

The Institute for Commercial Forestry Research (ICFR) was inaugurated on 13 September 1984. It evolved from the Wattle Research Institute (WRI) which was established in 1947. The ICFR is presently the only privately funded forestry research institute in South Africa and is funded by direct contributions from companies and organisations in the forestry industry. The ICFR is located on the Pietermaritzburg campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The research undertaken by the ICFR concentrates on all the applied aspects of commercial timber growing and is conducted in close collaboration with the growers. In setting research priorities the ICFR accommodates recommendations from its Board of Control, a Management Committee and three Steering Committees. It is through these mechanisms and the active participation of the Support Groups of the ICFR that the research activities are kept relevant for both present and anticipated problems in the industry.

Mission : To contribute to the global competitiveness of our sponsors through excellence in technical innovation in sustainable plantation silviculture