Introducing the EF Silviculture Society, a New Collective of External Advisors Dedicated to Protecting Ethereum's Foundational Values

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has launched the EF Silviculture Society, a collective of external advisors dedicated to protecting Ethereum's foundational values.

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has launched the EF Silviculture Society, a collective of external advisors tasked with safeguarding the foundational values of Ethereum. This initiative aims to sustain principles such as open-source collaboration, privacy, security, and censorship resistance, which are crucial to maintaining the decentralized spirit of Ethereum.

As Ethereum continues to expand rapidly, encountering both technical hurdles and governance complexities, this network of advisors will provide informal yet valuable guidance to ensure that the blockchain's core essence is preserved. With increasing adoption across diverse industries, safeguarding security and ethical oversight is paramount.

The EF Silviculture Society will work closely with various Ethereum stakeholders to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities and foster best practices within the blockchain ecosystem. Given the swift pace of Ethereum's development and the urgent need for technical input, this initiative is poised to play a pivotal role in optimizing the long-term sustainability of the blockchain.

Leadership Overhaul Shakes Ethereum’s Core

The formation of the EF Silviculture Society is part of a broader shift in Ethereum's leadership structure. Over the past year, significant changes within the EF have been unfolding gradually.

This restructuring process, which began around February 2022, has been openly discussed by Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum's co-founder, on social media. He confirmed that the initiative is ongoing, with some aspects already announced and others still in progress.

The restructuring responds to multiple challenges, including conflict-of-interest allegations that arose in 2023, community members expressing concerns over the lack of technical focus in the EF leadership, and criticism of the Foundation's communication style.

One of the primary goals is to strengthen the technical expertise of the EF leadership team and improve communication and collaboration with the broader Ethereum ecosystem.

Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade Faces Setback – Sepolia Testnet Next

Beyond leadership changes, the Ethereum Foundation has remained focused on scalability, security, and long-term sustainability. Initiatives like the EF Silviculture Society highlight a broader commitment to ensuring that Ethereum remains a robust and censorship-resistant platform, even as it faces growing pains with respect to technical integration and large-scale adoption.

Ethereum is currently preparing for its Pectra upgrade, which aims to enhance the network's efficiency and user experience. Recently, the Ethereum Foundation announced that the audit of Pectra's system contracts has been completed, and all significant issues have been resolved.

On February 24, Pectra was deployed on the Holesky testnet. However, the test faced challenges, as the network did not finalize as expected. Developers are investigating the root cause of this issue.

Despite these setbacks, the development team plans to proceed with the Pectra upgrade on the Sepolia testnet, which is scheduled for March 5.