The Thünen Institute is one of four federal research institutes under the auspices of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). Its scientific focus is on living conditions in rural areas and the sustainable use of fields, forests and oceans. The core task of the Thünen Institute is to use its own research to provide scientific foundations for advising political decision-makers. To this end, it makes interdisciplinary use of the scientific instruments of economics, ecology and technology.
The Thünen Institute has four specialist institutes in the forestry/wood sector:
- Institute of Wood Research (Hamburg)
- Institute of International Forestry and Forest Economics (Hamburg)
- Institute of Forest Ecosystems (Eberswalde)
- Institute of Forest Genetics (Großhansdorf)
In Hamburg, there is a close, contractually agreed cooperation with the Institute of Wood Sciences of the University of Hamburg.