Presentations from the symposium "International Research to Monitor Sustainable Forest Spatial Patterns," which was organized as part of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) World Congress in August 2005, are summarized in this report. The overall theme of the World Congress was "Forests in the Balance: Linking Tradition and Technology," and the symposium addressed the Congress sub-theme "Demonstrating Sustainable Forest Management." There is a long forestry tradition of site-specific management of forest spatial patterns to enhance wildlife habitat, water quality, recreation experience, and other forest amenities. But, there is not a long history of experience in national and continental reporting of forest spatial pattern as an indicator of biodiversity. As a result, research is needed to understand how to measure, monitor, interpret, and report on forest spatial patterns in relation to biodiversity at multiple scales ranging from countries to continents. The purpose of the symposium was to review recent international experiences with a view towards identifying research priorities.