From Concept to Curriculum and Competencies: Results of a Survey on Teaching of Integrative Forest Management at Higher Education Institutions Across Europe

IF 11.6 1区农林科学 Q1 FORESTRY

Current Forestry Reports Pub Date : 2026-09-26 DOI:10.1007/s40725-026-00287-7

Andreea Petronela Spînu,Agata Konczal,Frank Krumm,Andreas Rigling,Valentina Vitali,Jürgen Bauhus,Florian Schnabel

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Abstract Purpose of study Forests, their management and associated biodiversity are challenged by unprecedented environmental changes, as well as shifts in societal settings and demands. Successful adaptation of forests and related management practices under global change requires well-trained forestry professionals, which changes the demands on their education. Integrative Forest Management (IFM) is increasingly used as an umbrella term for paradigms that integrate biodiversity conservation and global change adaptation into forestry for the sustainable provision of ecosystem services. This study investigated how well higher-education curricula align with IFM principles and what expectations and obstacles the academic community identified for IFM teaching. Recent findings An online survey of teaching staff in forest sciences from 31 European countries revealed that IFM teaching should focus on practices that employ partial harvesting (i.e. selective tree removal) and promote natural and site-adapted tree regeneration , structural heterogeneity and the retention of habitat trees and deadwood . Experts identified competencies in ecology , resilience thinking , synthesis (i.e. combining knowledge , competencies and attitudes) , and communication with society as essential for IFM teaching. Our study recognised a shortage of collaborative problem-solving competencies in current curricula and pinpointed opportunities for international exchange. Summary Higher education programmes in forestry are beginning to incorporate IFM concepts, but key competency gaps remain. Strengthening ecological and resilience training and fostering collaboration and creativity in problem-solving is crucial for wider IFM adoption in higher-education curricula. This overview can help advance forestry education by identifying the knowledge and competencies that enable future professionals to make informed management decisions in times of uncertainty.

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从概念到课程和能力：欧洲高等教育机构综合森林管理教学调查结果

摘要：研究目的森林及其管理和相关生物多样性受到前所未有的环境变化以及社会环境和需求变化的挑战。在全球变化下成功适应森林和相关管理实践需要训练有素的林业专业人员，这改变了对他们教育的要求。森林综合管理（IFM）越来越多地被用作将生物多样性保护和全球变化适应纳入林业以可持续提供生态系统服务的范例的总称。本研究调查了高等教育课程如何与IFM原则相一致，以及学术界对IFM教学的期望和障碍。一项针对31个欧洲国家森林科学教学人员的在线调查显示，IFM教学应侧重于采用部分采伐（即选择性采伐树木）的做法，并促进自然和适应地点的树木再生、结构异质性以及栖息地树木和枯木的保留。专家们认为，生态能力、弹性思维、综合能力（即结合知识、能力和态度）以及与社会沟通是IFM教学的关键。我们的研究认识到当前课程缺乏协作解决问题的能力，并确定了国际交流的机会。林业高等教育方案开始纳入IFM概念，但关键的能力差距仍然存在。加强生态和复原力培训，促进解决问题的协作和创造力，对于在高等教育课程中更广泛地采用IFM至关重要。这一概述可以通过确定使未来的专业人员能够在不确定时期做出明智的管理决策的知识和能力，帮助推进林业教育。

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来源期刊

Current Forestry Reports Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

CiteScore

15.90

自引率

2.10%

发文量

期刊介绍： Current Forestry Reports features in-depth review articles written by global experts on significant advancements in forestry. Its goal is to provide clear, insightful, and balanced contributions that highlight and summarize important topics for forestry researchers and managers. To achieve this, the journal appoints international authorities as Section Editors in various key subject areas like physiological processes, tree genetics, forest management, remote sensing, and wood structure and function. These Section Editors select topics for which leading experts contribute comprehensive review articles that focus on new developments and recently published papers of great importance. Moreover, an international Editorial Board evaluates the yearly table of contents, suggests articles of special interest to their specific country or region, and ensures that the topics are up-to-date and include emerging research.