Until its election, the Steering Committee was represented by the "Starting Group" of the SwissForestLab, scientists and experts of different Swiss research and federal institutions who worked together in the first months to set up and organise the network.
| Prof. Dr. Arthur Gessler | Ecosystem Ecology | WSL |
| Prof. Dr. Andreas Rigling | Forest Ecology | ETHzürich |
| Prof. Dr. Ansgar Kahmen | Physiological Plant Ecology | Uni Basel |
| Prof. Dr. Harald Bugmann | Forest Ecology | ETHzürich |
| Prof. Dr. Nina Buchmann | Grasland Sciences | ETHzürich |
| Prof. Dr. Niklaus Zimmermann | Dynamic Macroecology | WSL |
| Prof. Dr. Rolf Holderegger | Biodiversity and Conservation Biology | WSL |
| PD Dr. Felix Morsdorf | Spatial Genetics | Uni Zürich |
| Prof Dr. Willi Tinner | Paleoecology | Uni Bern |
| Nele Rogiers | Federal Office for the Environment | FOEN |