The Hellenic Agricultural Organization “DEMETER” belongs and supervised by the Greek Ministry of Reconstruction of Production, Environment and Energy. Established in 2011, it consolidated four organizations of the (then) Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food, including the Ministry’s Research branch, the National Agricultural Research Organization (NAGREF). NAGREF, which includes 15 research institutes in the agricultural, forest, veterinary and fisheries sectors, became the General Direction of Research of DEMETER. The "Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems" is one of the oldest research institutes in Greece. It was established in Athens, Greece, in 1929 as the research arm of the Greek Forest Service.
Its title soon changed to “Forest Research Institute of Athens” (FRIA). In its more than 80 years of operation, the Institute has produced excellent research always focusing on the research needs of the practicing foresters of the Forest Service. In 1989 the Institute was integrated into the National Agricultural Research Foundation (NAGREF) and got its current official title. Both the historic name and the official title are currently in use. In 2011 NAGREF was merged with three other organizations of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food forming the Hellenic Agricultural Organization “DEMETER” to which the Institute now belongs. The Institute covers the area of forestry research: Forest management and forest economics, Silviculture and forest genetics, Forest soils and biogeochemistry, Forest protection and forest fires, Landscape architecture, Forest ecology and hydrology, Science and technology of wood. The Institute maintains close ties with operational organizations (Forest Service, Fire Service, General Secretariat for Civil Protection, local authorities) and with the private sector (forest industries, private citizens, etc.), and has contributed significantly in many aspects of forest management in Greece.