International standardisation is probably the greatest fundamental challenge facing global research collaboration in the forestry sector.
Currently, a number of countries and many research institutes are conducting similar research using different techniques, tools and measurements. The result is incomparable research that can only be used in isolation and cannot be supported or replicated by research conducted elsewhere in the world.
By producing an internationally accepted series of standardised procedures, practices and tools, the forestry sector can start to collate and compare results from across the world and attain a much better understanding of the role and fate of pesticides within the forestry sector on an international scale. Furthermore, this means that research results can be more robust and meaningful while also being replicable and comparable. It would also serve to reduce duplication and thus cost.
Finally, it would afford more informed decision-making with the aim of reducing pesticide use across the globe.