The Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University (FFWT MENDELU) and the University Forest Enterprise Masaryk Forest Křtiny (UFE Křtiny) are the main partners of the ERASMUS+ project Forest of the future: digital tools for learners to foster continuous cover forestry (ForDiL) aimed at educating a new generation of forestry professionals capable of an ecosystem approach to forests, which includes conservation, protection and use of forests in the context of nature-friendly forest management.
As part of the ERASMUS+ ForDiL project, students from the Institut Technique Horticole de Gembloux (ITH) in Belgium and the Institut Genech (UFA Bavay) in France took part in an educational activity in the forests of Mendel University. The training programme provided them with a unique opportunity to gain knowledge and practical skills in the field of close-to-nature forestry:
“A continuous cover forestry (CCF) ensures that forests remain productive and ecologically balanced in the long term while maintaining economic benefits. Through the ForDiL project, we can equip students with the necessary tools and skills to professionally implement silvicultural systems that are based on continuous regeneration of the forest stand and that avoid clear-cutting,” underlined the importance of the ForDiL project,” said Lumír Dobrovolný from UFE Křtiny.
Practical knowledge transfer facilitates future foresters’ acquisition of modern forestry practices. At the European level, the ForDiL project, by linking theory with practice, significantly supports their real-life application, i.e. their involvement in key forestry enterprises.
Student exchanges within Europe, as set up in the ForDiL project, enhance their adaptability, independence and exposure to different forest management techniques in different regions, as well as the integration of sustainable forestry principles into forestry education
The project also aims to put CCF principles into practice through innovative digital learning tools: ‘A digital learning tool, the ForDiL app, which is being developed in collaboration with sites in France and Belgium, will be used to deepen understanding and practical application of nature-based forestry,’ Dobrovolný emphasised another dimension of the project.
“European cooperation in forestry education is crucial. By taking part in exchanges, as set up in the ForDiL project, students learn new forestry techniques and develop cultural understanding and adaptability, which are essential skills of a modern professional,” concluded Pavlína Pancová Šimková, Vice Dean for Integration into the European Research Area.
Contact for more information: Ing. Pavlína Pancová Šimková, Ph.D., Vice-Dean for Integration into the European Research Area, FFWT MENDELU +420 545 134 065, pavlina.simkova@mendelu.cz
