The first international congress entirely devoted to plant biomechanics was held in Montpellier, France in 1994. The conference was organized by Dr. Bernard Thibaut, National Committee for Scientific Research (CNRS) Montpellier and others to stimulate an interdiciplinary approach to addressing the major problems and questions encountered by researchers in the field of Plant Biomechanics. Plant Biomechanics as a discipline requires a synergy between scientists involved in plant biology, the modelling of complex systems, and the mechanic of materials and sturctures. The stated intent of this first conference (Thibaut 1994) was to improve the understanding and analysis of:

• morphogenesis and fucntion of supporting organs in plants
• relationships between mechanical functions of cultivated plants and the quality of crops
• growth, development, structure and mechanical strength of plant systems relative to modifications imposed by man and the environment
• plant mechanical, structural and responsive designs as paradigms, in a biomimetic sense, for man-made applications.

Upon the conclusion of this first congress, the organising committee decided future congresses should be held every third year. Subsequently, the second Plant Biomechanics Congress was held at the University of Reading in 1997 (Jeronimidis and Vincent 1997) and the third congress at Badenweiler, Germany in 2000 (Spatz and Speck 2000). At the end of the 2000 congress, Drs. Frank W. Telewski and Frank W. Ewers submitted a proposal to host the fourth congress at Michigan State University. The Organizing Committee voted to award the meeting to MSU and for the first time, the International Plant Biomechanics Congress will be held outside of Europe.
Since its inception in 1994, the congress has attracted increasing global international interest and participation. The field also continues to expand, increasing the need for the interdiciplinary approach applied in all previous congresses to address the wide range of questions within the field. This includes, but is not limited to:

• influence of biotechnological modification of plants on biomechanics of both the living plant and the final plant product, such as altered or reduced lignin content in wood
• use of natural and modified plant fibers in composite materials
• increasing the understanding of the physiological and molecular processes involved in preception and differentiation of plant tissues to meet biomechanical requirements.