Forestry Education Research Articles

The current state of professional forestry education in the United Kingdom

SUMMARY Enrolments to Higher Education forestry courses have been in decline in the UK over the last decade. This trend has sparked widespread concern about the future of professional forestry education and recruitment of qualified graduates to the forestry sector. It is not clear if this decline is cyclical, or a permanent loss of interest in forestry as a university course and career option. A complex range of factors are responsible for the current situation; some are related to the education system in the UK, some to the forestry sector, and some are socioeconomic and cultural. Nonetheless, a similar pattern of decline in recent years has been seen in other natural resource disciplines, most notably agriculture, leading to the closure or merger of several university departments. This paper explores some of the issues that need to be addressed in order that forestry remains a relevant, viable and attractive university course. Email: adleslie@uclan.ac.uk

Abschied von der «Forstschule» im Bild | A farewell to the «Forestry School» in pictures

Four illustrations from the collection of Prof. Hermann Knuchel,who held the Chair of forest sciences at ETH Zurich from 1922 – 1952, document different aspects of forestry education in traditional Swiss academic institutions since its beginning in the 19th century.

Forestry Education in the United States.

The definition of "forestry" has been debated from the beginning of forestry programs and agencies in the United States in the late 19th century. Forestry has grown into an interdisciplinary subject incorporating many scientific disciplines: soils, wildlife, civil engineering, economics, ecology, agriculture, environmental science, and recreation as well as silviculture and utilization of timber products. U. S. schools and colleges have adjusted their forest-related curricula and organizational structures to accommodate these differences and train their students to succeed within this expanded discipline. Examination of six long-established academic forestry programs illustrates the expansion in the definition of forestry. Program names have changed and in some cases no longer include the word "forestry." However, these program changes are rarely recognized by the general public. At the same time, many forestry collections that support these programs are hidden within larger collections. Subject-specific forestry branch libraries developed in the latter half of the 20th century are being consolidated into larger units and losing their unique identity. The hidden nature of both forestry programs and forestry collections requires continuing efforts to make them visible to both primary users and the general public, and establish their importance in addressing natural resource and environmental issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest policies, management and conservation in Soviet (1920–1991) and post-Soviet (1991–2005) Armenia

The extent and condition of forest ecosystems in Armenia have decreased drastically since the disintegration of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). This decline is not only a consequence of the recent history of the area, but also the result of decades of forest policies, management and forest-use practices. To reverse the negative trends, it is important for stakeholders, scientists, resource managers and policy makers (in Armenia and abroad) to understand the influential factors in the decline, yet such information is scarce, highly fragmented, written in Armenian or Russian, and inaccessible to the international community. This paper aims to contribute to the knowledge base of the international community by presenting and contrasting the most important issues and processes that have affected forest cover in Armenia during the USSR (1920–1991) and independence periods (1991–to date). For each period, the legal framework, the forest inventory practices, forest use, management and conservation practices, the forestry education, and the perception of the forests by forest communities and society at large are presented and discussed. Except for the social perception of the forests, the most relevant aspects of these issues have scarcely changed from one period to the next. There is a need to address the most pressing problems and improve the current conditions of the forests and the forestry sector in Armenia.

Forestry education, training and professional development in Africa

SUMMARY It is widely acknowledged that support for classical forestry education worldwide is declining and that new forestry-related programmes are developing. It is difficult to be precise about the fundamental causes of this situation as there are no direct cause-effect relationships, but it appears that there is a complex interplay of forces at global and local scales that make classical forestry education appear obsolete. Classical forestry education treated forests as distinct entities defined in time and space (minimum tree/canopy density in an area) and forest science has been built around the ecological, biological and economic importance of that ‘entity’. However as the social, cultural and environmental aspects of forestry grow in importance, particularly in Africa and much of the tropical developing world, they are re-defining forests and extending the bounds of forestry to include trees in different landscapes, including even non-wooded landscapes. This requires foresters to ‘think outside the...

Japan Society of Forest Planning Summer Seminer 2004 in Nishitama : Forests in Tokyo. The central point of the discussion is forestry education in high school

Japan Society of Forest Planning Summer Seminer 2004 in Nishitama : Forests in Tokyo. The central point of the discussion is forestry education in high school

Consulting Foresters’ View of Professional Forestry Education

Consulting forestry is an attractive professional specialization and expanding employment opportunities have made it a popular option for forestry students. Association of Consulting Foresters members were asked to rank the importance of the traditional forestry and other courses in the standard accredited forestry curriculum, where additional emphasis was needed, and where specialization should occur. Additional emphasis was recommended in communications skills, financial areas, and technical foundations. Business administration was strongly recommended for a specialization area. Communication skills (technical writing and public speaking) stood out as the primary educational need for additional emphasis.

Forestry research and education in Malaysia

Similar to other disciplines, forestry research and education are inseparable. Both need each other to be able to progress, especially with the ever‐challenging demands facing the various fields of forestry today. With the current pressing issues related to forestry, such as deforestation, trade (especially timber certification), sustainable forest management and forest ecosystem management worldwide, the roles of both forestry research and education are becoming more necessary and relevant than in the past. Above all, the relationship between research and education is just like that between a song's rhythm and its lyrics. A song would not be pleasing to the ear if there was no appropriate rhythm to accompany the lyrics. Put simply, both rhythm and lyrics must blend together to create a pleasing and acceptable song. The same analogy holds true for research and education where they must go hand in hand if current issues at hand need to be resolved. Begun as a timber research laboratory in 1918, the Forest Research Institute (FRI), responsible for conducting research and development (R & D) in Malaya at that time, focused its efforts exclusively on testing aspects of various species, such as their physical properties, seasoning qualities, woodworking characteristics, durability, and receptivity to preservative treatment. Forestry education in the country on the other hand, was started in 1927 with the establishment of a vernacular school meant for training field staff. Today, both these fields have merged intrinsically and have achieved remarkable progress along with the support of an increasing number of universities, institutions and agencies which too have become involved in forestry research and education. This paper therefore sets out to explore the progressive development of forestry research and education in Malaysia over these long years to meet the changing needs with time

Beyond forestry education

The land occupied by forests worldwide is huge, and their growth encompasses everlasting histories going back for several hundreds or thousands of years. The pace of forest life is quite different from that of human beings. This everlasting world of worldwide forestry may pose a threat to human livelihood in the 21st century while it suffers a course of decline and deterioration on a global scale. In the 21st century, which is considered to be the century of wisdom, we must address this issue. This is the right spirit of forestry education in the 21st century which extends beyond the forestry education in the 20th century.

Current state and challenges in forestry education in Russia

Russian forestry has a rich history and a well‐developed system of forestry education. Although higher forestry education was initiated in Russia about 200 years ago, a good number of foresters were trained earlier, even during the time of Peter the Great, who paid much attention to people's general education. This article presents a description on the state of forestry education in Russia, the current situation and some trends in forestry training. It also highlights several modern challenges to the forest sector.

Forest education and research in the United States of America

The United States of America has 303 million hectares of forest land and invests roughly $550 million annually in forest research, or about $1.80 per hectare per year. These figures have been relatively static in recent years. They do not account for the increasing complexity of the problems to be solved or for the increasing costs of doing cutting‐edge science. Static investment levels in forestry research are compounded by issues in forestry education. The recent downward trends in enrollment levels and degrees awarded in forestry are inconsistent with projected increases in the number of jobs available in forestry and conservation in the U.S. in the near future. The situation is exacerbated by the imbalance in age‐class structure of forest scientists in the U.S. ‐ there are a large number of older, senior scientists on the verge of retirement. If a significant wave of retirements occurs in the next 5 to 10 years and if the current enrollment levels in forestry schools do not increase substantially in the next few years, there may not be enough graduates available to fill all the positions vacated. A host of potential impacts would ensue, including the loss of a significant amount of expertise and research capacity as retirees have too few replacements available to mentor and to pass on their accumulated wisdom.

INNOVATION IN FOREST POLICY AND ECONOMICS TEACHING AND RESEARCH

UDK 630*8/.9
 The Bologna process thrusts forestry and forestry education into the context of an evolving global economy as well as worldwide concerns about environmental protection and climate change. It stimulates the integration of forestry into the framework of sustainable land-use practices and the combination of forest management experience with new scientific knowledge and research methodology. Forest professionals need a comprehensive educational background if they are to tackle rapidly changing social, economic and political problems. At the same time they need to understand the evolving and locally specific social and cultural aspects of forestry. This demands a joint approach to forest management, environment protection and landscape conservation. Maintaining the natural resource base and managing forests in a sustainable manner will require teaching programme combining policy and law, business economics and management, and forest resource and environmental economics components.

A perspective of the students of higher forestry education

Higher forestry education has an important role to play in the future of the world's forests. The future decision makers, the students of today, will need to possess adequate skills to be able to meet the future challenges. Forests are significant to the well being of society, and therefore the foresters need to be able to serve the needs of society. The forestry curriculum in many universities is based on the traditional, forestry‐related subjects. Without undermining the importance of teaching these basic elements of forestry, the content of the forestry curricula must be reconsidered. The perspective painted by the current forestry education is often narrow and outdated. The true importance of forests and forestry in the wider context is not necessarily well recognised. Sufficient working tools are required to meet the challenges of professional working life. Besides a good knowledge base of forestry, various complementary skills are needed. Good communication and language skills, along with technical knowledge, are the basic requirements in all professions. Higher forestry education needs to meet the new challenges of the changing world of forestry. It is possible either to adapt to the change or to become part of it. Universities wishing to play a role in redefining the role of foresters need to radically change their ways of working. The key issues to improve the representation of the universities are: • Participation: Due to the lack of representation of higher education in the national and international discussion, higher forestry education is often omitted from discussion into the future of the forestry sector. • Communication: Improved communication should be emphasised in both external co‐operation and internal interactions of the universities. • Partnership: Competently functioning partnerships between the universities and other stakeholders in the forestry sector ensure not only a free and vigorous exchange of information, but also highlight the importance of education in the forestry sector.

Reorienting forestry education to sustainable forest management : The case of the university of the Philippines Los Banos college of forestry and natural resources

This paper is about organizational re‐engineering in support of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM). It focuses on the change strategies adopted by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) College of Forestry and Natural Resources (CFNR) to re‐orient itself to the needs and challenges of sustainable forest management. Sustainable forest management implies a new way of seeing, thinking and doing in relation to forests, natural resources, and the environment. As such, reforms in policies, programs, and approaches as well as changes in institutional and individual capabilities (knowledge, attitudes, values and skills) in forestry are needed. To maintain its relevance as a leading tropical forestry institution of higher learning, UPLB CFNR has initiated changes in its academic programs and organizational structure so that it will be more responsive to sustainable forest management challenges. To achieve the desired changes, the College has adopted five institutional development and change strategies. The experience at UPLB CFNR could offer some insights to other forestry educational institutions who wish to maintain relevance in the face of the paradigm shift in forestry and natural resource management.

Challenges and strategies of forest research and education in China

Three level forest science and research system has been set up, consisting of the national (19 institutes), provincial (62 agencies), and prefecture/county levels (492 organizations). Successful achievements have been made in many research fields, that is tree breeding, forest protection and monitoring, forest fire prevention, desertification control, and so on. By 2003, 412 institutes opened up for study toward Master and Ph. D. degree in 15 forest subjects, among which 178 were for doctoral degree. There are 61 forestry training organizations at the national and provincial level. Irrational distribution of research manpower and fund, poor system for research evaluation, and the deterioration of forest are some of problems confronting forest research. Some suggestions were provided to advance China's forestry science and technology, that is more investment both in basic and advanced research, systematic integration and application of scientific achievement, protection of property rights, reinforcement of economic research and so on. The forestry education and training in the Tenth Five Year Plan Period aims at cultivation of five teams, i. e., team of optimized, capable, honest and efficient civil servants, team of managers with extensive knowledge, specialties, and leadership, team of specialists with techniques and innovation, team of workers with good skills, and team of farmers with know‐how on tree and grass planting. 363 Plan will push the strengthening the development of Three Teams for Cultivating, Attracting and Utilizing talented individuals; the initiation of Six Technical Programs, which includes Ecological development and security, Forestry bio‐tech and superior seed, Conservation and utilization of germ plasm resources, Biological industry development, Digital forestry and Forestry innovation; and the Promotion of Three Educational Programs, namely Comprehensive training, Vocational education, and Stable promotion of higher education.

Forestry education in Slovakia

An outline of the development of higher forestry education (including forest products and woods science) in Slovakia is presented. Higher forestry education in the territory of the present Slovakia started 1807 in Banská Štiavnica and through several periods of evolution it has been continuing since 1952 in the College of Forestry and Wood Technology at Zvolen with two faculties: Forestry and Wood Technology. In 1991 it was renamed as the Technical University, which has been expanded now to four faculties: Forestry, Wood Science and Technology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences and Environmental and Manufacturing Technologies. The first two of these faculties presently have approximately 2,500 students, including 250 Ph.D. students, and almost 300 employees. In the last few years the curricula have undergone reorganization in accordance with the system valid in the EU countries to increase the mobility of students and to raise the level of cooperation between universities.

Challenges and strategies for forest education and research in Finland

Since 1995 the development of forest research and education has been defined more and more in the European context instead of solely on Finland basis. According to the Bologna Process in 1999, Finland committed to the joint actions to develop high forestry education through wide networking as other European countries. National Forest Programme (NTF) in 1999 by the Finnish Government aims at improving forest‐related know‐how through a strong innovation based on research, education and expansion of internationalisation and Europeanisation. However, research and development funding for forest sector decreased remarkably from 1995. Following NTF, research of many institutes including Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla) becomes more and more customer‐oriented, that is “from the markets to the forest”. There are two forest education institutes, i.e., Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki and Faculty of Forestry, University of Joensuu. The former works for the sustainable function of natural resources and places emphasis on the internationalisation of each academic programme and the latter places emphasis on the research of boreal forestry. The new two cycle degree programme is the one with a 3 year Bachelor and 2 year Master course. Networking between education and research institutes and between governmental and non‐governmental organisations is highly recommended for the new era of education, research, and industry in forestry in addition to the changes of education contents from the utilisation of forest to sustainability of forest based on society and global demand.

Challenges and strategies facing forest research and education for the 21st century: A case study from South Africa

South Africa has a proud history of forestry research and forest education spanning at least the last 100 years. Exotic tree species (pines, eucalypts and wattle) were introduced in the middle of the nineteenth century to alleviate the demands on indigenous forests for timber. This led to the development of a highly successful, plantation‐based forest industry, which is an important source of employment and foreign exchange for the country. Research institutions were established by both government and the private sector. Innovations and research outputs from these has made South Africa a leader in sustainable plantation forestry. Similarly, tertiary education institutions were established in the early 20th Century and have provided the industry with highly skilled professional foresters. Over the past two decades, both the forest industry and the country have undergone significant change that has posed new challenges, opportunities and threats on a number of fronts. Education and skills development are Government priorities. Research and development need to be strengthened and aligned with the developments in the industry and government and should ultimately focus on driving innovation in the sector. Partnerships and collaboration, particularly in cross‐sectoral research, should be encouraged and managed within a framework of innovation. This paper presents a brief overview of forest education and research in South Africa and the challenges the industry is facing.

New forestry studies in Austria

At the University of Agriculture and Applied Life Science in Vienna forestry education is available to educate and train students for all spheres of forestry. The six‐term bachelor‐degree study includes 132 semester‐hours liability courses and 15 semester‐hours free elective courses. All the subjects for the degree are presented. When completing the study, students will get degree of a Bachelor of Technical Sciences (Bakk. techn.). For the master degree (Diplom‐Ingenieur), students should obtain 54 semester‐hours to choose from one among three modules, 2 semester‐hours diploma thesis seminar, and 7 semester‐hours subjects as free elective courses. Subjects are presented for three suggested modules, that is, forest‐ecosystem analysis, forest‐resource management, and management and politics module.

Forest research and education in Germany

There are four forestry education universities (Goettingen, Freiburg, Munich, and Dresden) and five technical colleges in Germany. The universities are facing drastic budget cuts. Forestry teaching is becoming more projected‐oriented and interdisciplinary, and problem‐solving modules activated by students together with lecturers and coordinated with different principles are replacing the traditional lecture‐type teaching. Three kinds of research methods are adopted, that is, manipulated, observational, and comparative observational way. Four regional forest research centers are run at the same cities that four forestry education universities are located in. The new form of local centers of research and education is suggested as the Weihenstephan Forest and Wood Competence Center in Weihenstephan, which may involve education and research institute.