Recent Challenges of Forest Engineering Academic Education

This paper presents the history and tradition of forestry academic education in Europe. In the last few decades a lot of changes have occurred and forestry academic education has lost a high-level position in European society and economy. In many European countries, higher education forestry programs are just a part of the educational system of universities of applied sciences, life sciences, agricultural or technical sciences. Important changes of higher education systems have been made with the establishment of new educational programs according to the Bologna principles. Some problems and disadvantages will be discussed on the Croatian example, where the reform of teaching programs according to the Bologna process was made 7 years ago. The most important problems are related to the employment of bachelors of forestry, decreasing number of students, and evaluation of forestry educational programs in forestry practice. Also the field of forest engineering, which still has a quite strong position in forestry practice, is not adequately present in teaching programs in many countries. In order to provide the place that belongs to higher forestry education in the Republic of Croatia and Europe, the existing study programs should be revised and updated with the development of new teaching methods, promotion of new and updated teaching materials and handbooks, encouragement of students for scientific and individual work. With the aim to preserve and recognize the importance of education in the field of forest engineering, some existing principles of Bologna process could be accepted. First, the need should be stressed for the development of joint master studies in the framework of Erasmus Mundus program, which would strengthen the existing cooperation and serve as the basis for a more fruitful scientific-research and educational work. It needs to be pointed out that the establishment of new graduate studies in the field of forest engineering would contribute to the development of higher education in the European environment, with an aim of providing student and academic staff mobility.