Forestry Education Research Articles

European agrifood and forestry education for a sustainable future - Gap analysis from an informatics approach

Background The NextFood Project (www.nextfood-project.eu) started work in 2018 to identify ‘Categories of Skills’ that students should be equipped with to address the upcoming global challenges within agrifood and forestry disciplines, and involved concepts such as sustainability, technological adaptation and networking. This study is based on the initial skills and competencies mapping, but takes a different methodological approach. Instead of investigating what the research literature and professionals think are important skills for the future, this study asks how existing education programmes include or exclude these skills in the description of their programs. Methods Python-based web-scraping scripts were used to collect texts from a selection of European Masters program websites, which were then analysed using statistical tools. A total of 14 countries, 27 universities, 1303 European Masters programs, 3305 web-pages and almost two million words were studied using this approach. Results While agrifood and forestry Masters programs were aligned with the NextFood Project ‘Categories of Skills’ equal to or more often than unrelated Masters programs, we found evidence for the relative underuse of words associated with networking skills, such as 舖collaboration舗, 舖communication舗 and 舖teamwork舗. Agriculture-related programs used these words the least among the agrifood Masters programs. In contrast, agrifood programs used words associated with sustainability and system thinking more than the non-agrifood Masters programs. Conclusions The informatics approach provides evidence that many European agrifood and forestry Masters programs are following the educational paths for meeting future challenges as outlined by the NextFood Project, with the possible exception of networking skills. This approach allows a complementary and time-efficient overview of the current state of education in the agrifood system in Europe.

Building Gender Equity in Forestry Education: The benefits of Oregon’s Women Owning Woodlands Network

Building Gender Equity in Forestry Education: The benefits of Oregon’s Women Owning Woodlands Network

How Is It Covered?—A Global Perspective on Teaching Themes and Perceived Gaps and Availability of Resources in University Forestry Education

Forest education has evolved significantly in recent decades due to global phenomena such as climate change and globalization, which are transforming the skill sets and competencies that should be provided by university-level education on forests. This evolution has placed pressure on educational institutions to adapt and meet these emerging needs. Previous research has identified gaps in the coverage of specific teaching topics within forest education, yet assessing the global state of education has been challenging because of the absence of comparable data. To address this gap, the Global Forest Education Project was initiated in 2020. The project developed a survey aimed at evaluating the state of forest education across all levels worldwide. In this study, we used data from this survey and conducted an analysis focusing on the perceived adequacy of teaching content and the availability of educational resources at the university level. The study revealed global concerns regarding the comprehensive coverage of the various teaching themes. Although there was some variation in coverage across different regions, the trends appeared to be consistent globally. The perceived availability of resources for education varied significantly by region, including factors that likely impede the ability of educational programs to modernize and meet new educational requirements. These findings indicate that there is a need to reevaluate and improve the coverage of many of the teaching themes in forest education. Moreover, it is evident that education providers in certain regions require increased funding to ensure sufficient resources to address these needs efficiently.

LAJOS FEKETE, HUNGARIAN ROYAL MINISTER COUNCELLAR, DIRECTOR OF THE HUNGARIAN ROYAL ACADEMY OF MINING AND FORESTRY

Lajos Fekete, Hungarian Royal Minister Counsellor, Forestry Academy professor is a leading figure in higher forestry education, who achieved indefeasible results in creating Hungarian language education and the Hungarian forestry language. Between 1872 and 1891, he headed the Department of Phytology and Silviculture at the Royal Hungarian Academy of Mining and Forestry in Selmecbánya, and from 1891 until his retirement he headed the Department of Forest Management. He played an important role in the organisation of the Academy campus, the construction of new educational buildings and the development and furnishing of the botanical gardens, as well as in the compilation and development of collections related to the subjects he taught (zoology, entomology, botany, climatology and soil science). Hungarian experiments in forestry began to take institutional form in 1897/98, and Lajos Fekete was responsible for this, as well as for the idea of establishing forestry education on a secondary level. Although he had already exceeded the possible age of retirement in 1894, his tireless work ethic kept him in the Academy. He enjoyed the confidence of the Academy's teaching staff and served as vice-principal in the academic year 1892/93, then as director in the academic years 1897/98, 1898/1899 and 1899/1900, and was also head of the forestry department. At the age of 69, on 1 October 1906, he was retired at his own request, because of his failing eyesight towards the end of his life. Thus, the last serving teacher of the first faculty of the Forestry Academy left the academy chair. On this occasion, he was awarded the title of Minister Counsellor in recognition of his services. In 1910, six years before his death, he received the highest recognition for his work, being accepted as a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. There is no branch of forestry science in which his work has not left a lasting mark. Despite this extremely productive and diversified career, which produced outstanding achievements in all fields, posterity has treated and still treats Lajos Fekete, whose work and human behaviour can stand as an example to us all, rather cruel.

The Biltmore Forest School and the Establishment of Forestry Education in America

The Biltmore Forest School and the Establishment of Forestry Education in America

European agrifood and forestry education for a sustainable future - Gap analysis from an informatics approach

Background The NextFood Project (www.nextfood-project.eu) started work in 2018 to identify ‘Categories of Skills’ that students should be equipped with to address the upcoming global challenges within agrifood and forestry disciplines, and involved concepts such as sustainability, technological adaptation and networking. However, the NextFood initiatives only reached out to a limited part of the education system in Europe and were potentially biased in their targeted approaches, since they involved focus group interviews and surveys directed at key participants, the so-called ‘coalition of the willing’. We therefore carried out a complementary study using a non-targeted informatic approach to see how well a selection of European agrifood and forestry Masters program websites are aligned with the NextFood Project ‘Categories of Skills.’ Methods Python-based web-scraping scripts were used to collect texts from a selection of European Masters program websites, which were then analysed using statistical tools. A total of 14 countries, 27 universities, 1303 European Masters programs, 3305 web-pages and almost two million words were studied using this approach. Results While agrifood and forestry Masters programs were aligned with the NextFood Project ‘Categories of Skills’ equal to or more often than unrelated Masters programs, we found evidence for the relative underuse of words associated with networking skills, with least use among agriculture-related Masters programs. Conclusions The informatics approach provides evidence that many European agrifood and forestry Masters programs are following the educational paths for meeting future challenges as outlined by the NextFood Project, with the possible exception of networking skills. This approach allows a complementary and time-efficient overview of the current state of education in the agrifood system in Europe.

Comparative analysis of forestry systems in the United States and Turkey: Practices, technologies, and challenges

The current study provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of forestry systems in the United States (US) and Turkey, covering various aspects such as forest ownership, natural resources planning, fire management, technological applications, silviculture, forestry education and challenges faced by each country. The findings mainly stems from the author’s first-hand investigations, field observations, and experiences during a postdoctoral research period in the US from 2022 to 2024. Additionally, a variety of information sources, including US forest plans, publications from the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, relevant peer-reviewed literature, and open-source data, was used in the work employing the verbal analysis method. While certain similarities emerge, particularly in technology utilization and the historical development of forestry education, significant disparities are evident in fire management strategies, land ownership structure, silvicultural practices, and forest planning approaches between the countries. These differences can be attributed to unique environmental and historical conditions, varying economic development levels, and distinct regulatory legislations. The outcomes of this study suggest that there are valuable forestry practices that each country can learn or adopt from the other, emphasizing the potential for mutual exchange and improvement in natural resources management practices.

Perspective Piece: Rekindling Interest in Forestry Education in Sierra Leone

Perspective Piece: Rekindling Interest in Forestry Education in Sierra Leone

The qualifications and competence in supervisory and management skills among recently graduated Finnish forestry professionals

In the past decade, research and several surveys have indicated that the competence of higher forestry education graduates does not meet the requirements of working life regarding supervisory and management skills. The aim of this study was to discover what kind of supervisory and management competence is required in the daily tasks of early-career forestry professionals, and to what extent the teaching of these skills would be advisable to include in higher forestry education. The study was implemented through a Webropol survey of the Master’s of Forestry graduates and forestry engineers graduated between 2018–2021, which mapped their supervisory and managerial duties and skills. The study population was 1046 people, of which 30.4% responded to the survey. The principal finding was of an apparent extensive need for the abovementioned skills, as supervisory duties are typical in the work of forestry professionals soon after their graduation. In this study, approximately one fifth of the employed respondents worked in a supervisory position, one third had supervisory or managerial duties, and half had an indirect network of subordinates. Supervisory skills were seen important for all forestry professionals regardless of their position. Moreover, self-management, team management, and well-being and occupational health management were regarded as important skills. However, there appeared to be notable gaps in all these skills. The study results contribute to improving working life orientation in higher forestry education. Based on these findings, we recommend that teaching of these subjects should be implemented by integrating the topics into field-specific courses.

Impact of the SARS-COV-2 Pandemic on Changes in the Financing and Delivery of Forestry Education in Poland – A Case Study

Abstract Subject and purpose of work The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has significantly changed the shape and organization of education in the State Forests, hence the purpose of this study is to assess its impact on the course, financing, forms and participation of youth and adults in forest education in Poland. Materials and methods The study was based on hitherto unpublished quantitative data concerning the educational activities of forest districts carried out in 2011-2021. Qualitative methods, including online surveys, were also used. Due to the largest area of forests under its management in Poland, the RDSF Szczecin was selected as the study area. Results An analysis of expenditures on forest education was carried out, identifying forest districts with the highest and lowest costs. Conclusions The mixed methods used allowed for a more complete interpretation of the results, as well as the presentation of the figures in a statistical context.

Exploration and practice of innovative teaching of molecular biology experiment course under the context of new agricultural science

The development of new agricultural science is a new idea and a new measure that aims to deepen the reform of higher education in agriculture and forestry for the development of new agriculture, new countryside, new farmers and new ecosystem. It is therefore essential for the current undergraduate experimental teaching reform to timely introduce new technologies and new methods used in the development of agriculture and forestry industry into the experimental course teaching, and promote the integration of professional education with innovation and entrepreneurship education, according to the requirements of the new agricultural science. In view of this, the exploration and practice of molecular biology experiment course was carried out from the perspective of experimental projects, teaching modes and evaluation methods, according to the teaching requirements and characteristics of molecular biology experiment and teachers' scientific research achievements. The results showed that this reform greatly improved the students' comprehensive quality and innovation ability and may facilitate the innovation experiment teaching of other courses.

Extension Agents’ Perceptions, Practices, and Needs of Urban Forestry: A Case Study from Tennessee, United States

Urban forests are essential green infrastructure for sustainable cities. However, existing studies are mainly focused on the general public’s perception and needs of urban forestry, and little is known about non-traditional educators like extension agents. To address this gap, the main objective of this study is to explore extension agents’ perceptions, practices, and future training needs. Specifically, a statewide online survey consisting of 33 questions was designed and disseminated to extension agents in Tennessee via email with 64 responses. We found that the majority of respondents valued urban forestry, with 68.9% of them believing that urban forests are very important, especially for providing shade, cooling, energy saving, aesthetic values/beautification, increasing property values, and wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Their main clientele includes homeowners, farmers, and landowners, and 63.3% of extension agents reported that they have received urban forestry-related requests. However, less than half of them are comfortable addressing these requests, and over 50% of them reported that they are slightly or not knowledgeable about urban forestry. Additionally, the interest in urban forestry is high, with 98.3% of respondents having some level of interest in urban forestry. This demonstrates great potential for urban forestry education, extension, and training in the region.

Trends in Brazil’s Forestry Education—Part 3: Employment Patterns of Forest Engineering Graduates from Two Public Universities in the Last 15 Years

The employment rate of graduates and the interest of organizations in a high-skilled professional workforce are essential drivers of actions within the universities to improve the qualifications of college students. Our objective was to identify the sectors of employment pursued by graduates from forestry engineering programs of the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ/USP) and of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE). We also conducted a survey among companies affiliated with the Forest Science and Research Institute (IPEF) to understand the percentage of forest engineers employed by these organizations to gain insights into the scale of this occupation in Brazil. We established two graduate cohorts to investigate the impact of changes in the last five years. In the first cohort (2008–2017), 82% and 40% of graduates from ESALQ/USP and UFRPE were involved in the forestry sector, respectively. However, in the second cohort (2018–2022), the percentage increased from 82% to 97% for graduates from ESALQ/USP, and after changes in the program, the percentage of graduates from UFRPE engaged in the forestry industry significantly rose from 40% to 73%. We discussed the reasons for these increases, mainly in terms of the growing market demand for forestry professionals. In the case of UFRPE, the boost in employment was attributed to the creation of a group for forestry practices along with actions to approach the private sector. We also found a strong ratio of one forest engineer to 4000 ha of planted forest among the enterprises associated with IPEF, indicating a substantial potential of employment in the forestry sector.

Trends in Brazil’s Forestry Education—Part 2: Mismatch between Training and Forest Sector Demands

This study used four surveys to capture perceptions of the current scenario of the forest sector and on the trends of the sector regarding human resources. The aim was to investigate the skills entailed by the profession from the viewpoint of professionals, taking into account job offers and the opinion of new college graduates. All surveys were analyzed using proportions and mean estimates. The first survey on forest organizations indicated a shortage of qualified professionals for the job market as well as a lack of training in behavioral skills (soft skills), pointed out by 100% of the organizations surveyed. We identified a gap between the importance given to certain skills and the performance of new college graduates in their academic training. Behavioral skills, such as communication, problem solving, leadership, and proactivity were considered of high importance; nevertheless, new graduates usually lacked these soft skills. In addition, a gap was identified in areas of knowledge not traditionally addressed in forest-engineering programs, such as REDD+ mechanisms, carbon market, and landscape management. The third and fourth surveys point to a convergence between job requirements from candidates and the responses of new graduates about the skills they consider important for their professional career. A three-line discussion is suggested, encompassing extension activities and professional experience in the academic world, bringing academia closer to job-market requirements, and including curriculum changes to follow current trends.

What affects the choice of forestry profession by Ukrainian students?

Abstract Currently, Ukraine is outlining a problem with the recruitment of students to the Faculty of Forestry. The solution to this problem is possible only if the necessity of transformation of the forestry industry and the corresponding transformation of the forestry education system are realised. Based on the study of scientific literature, the main motivating factors, according to which future students decide to become foresters, were identified. These factors were included in a questionnaire offered to first-year forestry students. The results of the questionnaire were compared with the data from the scientific articles. As a result, some aspects to pay attention to in order to increase the attractiveness of forestry as a field of study were identified. It was found that the predominant motivating factors for choosing a forestry profession are enjoyment of nature, recreation in nature, spending time in the fresh air, concern for the environment and interest in forests. Salary of forestry specialists proved to be the strongest factor for hesitation in choosing the profession. The next step of our research will probably be to investigate the opinion of Ukrainian students about the quality of educational programmes.

Trends in Brazil’s Forestry Education: Overview of the Forest Engineering Programs

Our study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of forestry programs in Brazil, including a comparative analysis with other countries while considering geographical factors. Over the past 25 years, the number of forestry programs in Brazil has increased from 43 to 75, leading to a rise in the annual number of graduates from 850 to 1500. Nevertheless, our findings reveal that only 60% of the available vacancies at universities are filled. On average, each institution enrolls 169 students (from 40 to 360 students per program). We also observed that, on average, each program employs 13 professors with a background in forest engineering (from 4 to 33). The results show that, among the professors from the ten oldest programs in the country, 78% had no prior professional experience outside academia, and 48% remained affiliated with the same university where they completed their undergraduate or graduate studies. There is a concerning and significant decline in the number of applicants for forestry programs, representing a strategic risk for the country. We identified a direct relationship between the number of programs, the population size, and the country’s total forest cover area when comparing Brazil with 12 other countries.

Forecasting and Coupled Coordination Analysis of Supply and Demand for Sustainable Talent in Chinese Agriculture

In recent years, China has achieved notable results with its poverty alleviation program, the focus of which is shifting toward the comprehensive promotion of rural revitalization. The role played by sustainable human resources in agriculture is becoming increasingly prominent. In this context, China’s sustainable talent in agriculture is used as the research object, and a neural network analysis method is applied to construct a prediction model of sustainable agricultural talent to forecast its supply and demand. The prediction aims to provide a scientific basis for the strategic planning of talent development for rural revitalization. Based on the forecast results by region and province, we analyzed the level of coordinated development of talent supply and demand to provide a reference for the coordinated development of supply and demand of sustainable talent in agriculture in China. The results showed that a large sustainable agricultural talent demand gap exists in China. The overall talent supply and demand coupling coordination level is low; we found significant differences among different regions and provinces, characterized by decreasing order of the northeast, central, west, and east. According to the socio-economic development level, agricultural economic foundation, and other factors, we divided the provinces into six types for analysis. To promote the coordinated development of sustainable human agricultural resources, talent policy support at the national level is required to reduce the loss of human resources to other countries; at the regional level, the talent environment for rural revitalization should be optimized to increase the attraction of talent. At the provincial level, agricultural and forestry education resources should be created to increase the supply of sustainable agricultural talent.

A Methodological Framework for Mapping Canopy Cover Using ICESat-2 in the Southern USA

NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) provides exceptional opportunities for characterizing the structure of ecosystems through the acquisition of along-track, three-dimensional observations. Focusing on canopy cover as a fundamental parameter for assessing forest conditions, the overall goal of this study was to establish a framework for generating a gridded 30 m canopy cover product with ICESat-2. Specifically, our objectives were to (1) Determine and compare ICESat-2-derived canopy cover with airborne lidar-derived and the 2016 National Land Cover Database (NLCD) cover product estimates, and (2) Evaluate a methodology for wall-to-wall mapping of canopy cover. Using two Southern US sites, the Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF) in south-east Texas and the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center (SDFEC) in southern Alabama, four measures of canopy cover estimated with ICESat-2′s Land-Vegetation Along-Track Product, or ATL08, were evaluated at the 30 m pixel scale. Comparisons were made using spatially coinciding NLCD pixels and airborne lidar-derived reference canopy cover. A suite of Landsat and Landsat-derived parameters were then used as predictors to model and map each measure of canopy cover with Random Forests (RF), and their accuracies were assessed and compared. Correlations (r) between ICESat-2-derived and airborne lidar canopy cover at the pixel scale ranged from 0.57 to 0.78, and R2 up to 0.81 was produced between NLCD and ICESat-2-derived canopy cover. RF models developed for extrapolating ICESat-2-derived canopy cover estimate yielded R2 values between 0.50 and 0.61 (RMSEs between 16% and 20%) when evaluated with airborne lidar-derived canopy cover. With a demonstrated capability of ICESat-2 to estimate vegetation biophysical parameters, the findings serve to support the spatially comprehensive mapping of other vegetation attributes, especially forest aboveground biomass, and contribute to the development of an up-to-date gridded canopy cover product.

Perception and willingness of private secondary school students in forestry education and career: A case study from Nigeria

AbstractOne of the critical issues confronting forest sustainability is inadequate education about the need and actions to sustain these vital ecosystems. Notwithstanding, forestry education attracts low levels of interest and enrollment in Nigeria and globally. Unlike in public secondary schools, information on the perception and willingness toward forestry education and career among private school students is limited. Therefore, our study assessed the (un)willingness and perception toward forestry education and career through a survey of 160 students across eight private secondary schools in Akure metropolis, Nigeria. Descriptive and chi‐square statistics were used to analyze the responses. We found a relatively low interest and willingness in forestry education among the students (20%), despite their positive perceptions toward the profession's lucrativeness (73%), their relevant prior knowledge learnt through school's agriculture subject (88%), and their previous tree planting engagement (55%). None of the students’ demographics had significantly influenced their professional interest and choice besides having family relation(s) in forestry (χ2 = 5.731, p = .017). Likewise, only the availability of scholarships, accessible post‐study forestry jobs, and adequate integration of forestry into secondary school education could have significantly attracted the students to pursue forestry education or a career. Therefore, improving these key areas is recommended while also creating public awareness to facilitate more positive perceptions about the profession.

Delivering forestry courses online: experiences, lessons learned, and future of forestry online education in the Asia Pacific

Innovation in forestry education is needed to address changing contexts of the positionality of forests. This is particularly significant in the Asia–Pacific region, where deforestation and degradation are high. However, the accessibility of high-quality forestry education to address changing regional and global contexts is lacking. A series of innovative sustainable forest management (SFM) open education resource (OER) courses were developed and implemented to improve the accessibility of SFM education to enhance teaching quality, curriculum, and research capacity of universities in the Asia-Pacific Region. To evaluate the SFM-OER program in terms of student experiences, this study investigated student achievement, perceived success of the pedagogical approach and instructional design, and perceived effectiveness of the learning activities in promoting active and transformative learning through the assessment of a 1,191-course feedback survey between 2018 and 2020, including the global pandemic. This study revealed that the program attracted diverse student demographics, including a higher proportion of female students majoring in forestry, ecology, and other environmental studies. Their primary motivation to participate in the courses was to gain international experience, followed by the flexibility of online learning, mandatory course requirements, and earning course credits. Students were satisfied with the Canvas learning management system. Most students spent less than 5 to 10 h of their weekly time in the course and agreed or strongly agreed that the workloads were manageable. Students reflected positively on various learning activities and assignments, such as watching lecture videos, taking quizzes, reading and summarizing, having discussions, and peer review writing. However, they did not clearly prefer specific learning activities, signifying the importance of using diverse learning activities to satisfy diverse individual learning styles in online settings. This analysis contributes to the further development of student-centered pedagogical development for online learning and provides insight into the ways forward for online higher forestry education, while repurposing existing OER courses in a post-Covid-19 era.