Organizational structure

The Department of Forest Ecology addresses a wide range of ecological topics in the landscape, including primary and secondary production and ecological stability and biodiversity. We are interested in the relationships between organisms and their environment, the climate, inorganic and organic substances and humans. The department’s profile is mainly scientific, as demonstrated by its many publications in prestigious journals, but we also like to learn. We are working on projects with several national and international partners and have a strong interface with business.

The Department of Geology and Soil Science focuses on applied science in the fields of geology, geomorphology, soil science and archaeology, with overlaps into supporting disciplines such as biology, biochemistry, micromorphology, hydrogeology and hydropedology. These disciplines are interpreted in an environmental context with implications for forestry, landscaping, arboriculture and conservation.

The Department works in an area that combines elements of forestry management and applied geoinformation technology, with applications in a range of forestry activities and landscape management, where modern geoinformation technology can play a particularly important role. Our approach has several multidisciplinary overlaps and is sometimes referred to as precision forestry.

The Department is dedicated to scientific research in the field of applied physics (hydraulics, water structures), landscape accessibility, soil mechanics and landscape biotechnics. The Department is a renowned university research and engineering facility. In addition to its research and teaching activities, the Department is also engaged in feasibility studies and in implementing design projects.

The Department of Forestry and Wood Economics and Policy is unique in that it focuses on all aspects of the forestry and wood sector, renewable natural resources and the environment. In doing so, it combines the fields of economics, management, policy and research and provides comprehensive support in both teaching and consultancy.

The Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, one of the largest departments at the faculty, teaches a wide curriculum focused on plants and their communities, focusing on general and specialised botany, dendrology, phytocoenology, forest typology, landscape ecology, nature and landscape protection, Geobiocoenology and tree ecophysiology, alongside lessons on botany, dendrology and agroforestry of the tropics and subtropics. The Department maintains an extensive and comprehensive herbarium with around 60,000 items, as well as arboreta at Křtiny, Řícmanice and Habrůvka. Research, development and teaching projects in both temperate and tropical/subtropical regions form an integral part of the Department’s work.

The Department of Mathematics teaches subjects oriented toward mathematics and geometry for most disciplines at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, as well as several disciplines at the Faculty of Agriculture. The role of the department is to work with students, educating them to think rigorously, to create an overview of the possibilities of using quantitative methods and to improve spatial imagination and graphical expression skills.

The mission of the Department is to provide higher education focused on preparing the next generation of professionals in the field of furniture research, design and production. The Department strives not only to impart knowledge and skills but also to nurture the individual creativity and critical thinking of each student. Our aim is to enable students to develop their own unique approach and ideas without being constrained by traditional dogma and established clichés. At the same time, the Department aims to combine theoretical knowledge with practical experience so that students can respond to current industry challenges and contribute to innovation in the furniture industry.

The Department focuses on problems of structure and identification of wood, dendrology, processes of wood formation, its physical and mechanical properties, modelling of wood behaviour, processes of wood degradation, wood protection and conservation, drying and modification of wood, development of composite materials based on wood, structural carpentry, timber structures and wood-based structures. The department also has a woodwork pavilion which serves for creative learning. Scientific research and educational activities are developed in the Josef Ressel Research Centre in Útěchov.

The Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management is a modern workplace focused on research and teaching in the fields of forest protection, stress ecology, phytopathology, entomology, hunting, applied zoology and animal ecology. As a research department, we have been awarded a significant number of grants for both basic and applied research projects. In order to meet the demands of research and education, the institution has been equipped with the latest technological resources for field and laboratory work. Furthermore, it has cultivated collaborative relationships with prominent researchers, scientists, educators and practitioners at home and abroad.

The Department of Engineering has a long and rich tradition, covering a wide thematic range in teaching and research activities. The Department’s core professional topics include technological issues, and technology in the fields of forestry, arboriculture and renewable energy resources. The Department of Technology places significant emphasis on ergonomics and occupational safety, recognising these as pivotal subjects in the professional field.

The Department is engaged in teaching and scientific research activities in the field of forest cultivation. It mainly deals with current issues of forest cultivation in the context of adaptation of forest ecosystems to changing environmental conditions and societal needs. We cooperate in practical teaching and projects with Czech and foreign institutions.

The Centre is under the professional supervision of the Department of Wood Science and Wood Processing Technology. Laboratories for teaching and research are located here, focusing on wood as a renewable raw material. Newly-developed technologies, materials, semi-completed products or fully-completed products can be thoroughly examined and modified by means of special equipment in the JRRC laboratories.

The laboratory focuses on complex research into diseases of woody species, currently on pathogens of the Phytophthora genus. The laboratory is equipped to enable processing of soil samples, isolation of pure cultures of pathogens of woody species and their analysis through modern methods of molecular biology based on analysis of DNA and RNA.

The laboratory deals with the inspection and calibration of measuring devices used for timber acceptance, especially at sawmills. It holds a certificate of professional and technical competence, which allows it to issue calibration certificates with the ILAC MRA mark with international legal validity. It also offers consulting services in the field of timber measurement and training focused on timber acceptance.