Professor Raffaele Cavalli has had a prolific career in forest operations, cable logging, biomass utilization and wood processing. During his almost four decades of tenure at the University of Padova, he has published over 300 scientific publications and reports, and more importantly, has trained 13 Ph.D. and 130 M.Sc. students as the major professor. Many of his students have gone on to distinguished careers in the academy, agencies, and private industry.
Professor Cavalli has also continued to dedicate himself to growing the global forest engineering community and promoting international collaborations. I have witnessed his dedication, service and leadership through activities of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Division 3 since 2006 when I joined IUFRO Working Group 3.06 Forest Operations in Mountainous Conditions as a deputy coordinator. He organized and helped organize many international meetings. He encouraged graduate students and young research scientists to participate in study abroad and international projects. He deeply cares about the future of Forest Engineering and continues to provide mentorship for many young research scientists. He has become a role model and an inspiration for many young scientists in our discipline across the world.