Organisation of the five traditional scientific expert conferences Forestry Study Days (FSD) with the following themes: 2009: Conservation management of silver fir 2011: Responses of technology and forestry to changing management conditions 2012: Connecting forest owners and cooperative forest management 2013: Views of forestry on deforestation 2014: Transformation of low productivity forests and forest with altered species composition FSD is the central forestry educational event in Slovenia, with 10 to 20 leading experts in the field of forestry and related disciplines lecturing on selected topics. FSD are attended by 100 to 150 forestry professionals and experts in related fields. FSD occasionally incorporate field seminars. All presentations are published as slides on the website of conference (e.g. http://web.bf.uni-lj.si/go/gsd2014). In addition, extended abstracts of all talks are printed as conference proceedings, while few most important contributions are printed as journal articles within journal Zbornik gozdarstva in lesarstva. In addition to the organization of the FSD members of the program group were active in organizing conferences, meetings and workshops for forestry professionals and the general public, for example: Workshop "Forests pests"; continuous education program for the plant health specialists; license program for agricultural and forestry consultants; seminar on PWN; organisation of filed workshop Silvicultural systems and coexistence of silver fir and beech; organization of meeting and workshop Management of large herbivores in accordance to their effects on forest, needs of large predators and importance for hunting; Workshop on the development of multiobjective forest management: forest functions, ecosystem services, priority areas; Forest site productivity in Slovenia: a workshop.
F.18 Transfer of new know-how to direct users (seminars, fora, conferences)
COBISS.SI-ID: 244803840From 2009 to 2014 the programme group held several high-profile international conferences (npr. COBISS-ID 247453440, 247556864, 2958502, 252612096). In 2009 10th International Symposium on Operational Research SOR '09 was held in Slovenia, Nova Gorica. 73 participants attended the conference. 7 invited lecturers held presentations and 54 reviewed contributions were presented. Most of the contributions were problem based, but there were also many high quality methodological contributions. Researchers of the Biotehnical Faculty’s Forestry Department also took part, which highlights the interdepartmental and interdisciplinary approach in forestry research and problem solving. The high number of foreign experts in attendance confirmed the development of operational research and the growing investment of professional efforts in this field. International conference of ProSilva association with workshops in Kočevje, Postojna, Celje and Koroško regions was held in September 2009. ProSilva Europe is an association, which advocates close-to-nature forest management (www.prosilvaeurope.org). The purpose of the conference was to link together science, practice and public relations to improve close-to-nature forestry. The conference featured 120 participants. 6th European symposium and workshop on conservation of saproxylic beetles, June 1517, 2010, Ljubljana. 46 contributions on the topic of saproxylic beetles in Europe and in Slovenia were presented (Sections: Red Listing and Monitoring, Population Studies, Saproxylic Beetle Assamblages and Environmental Gradients, Taxonomy and Phylogeography, Saproxylic Beetles and Forestry). The conference was well attended (more than 100 participants) and accomplished its goal of informing both specialists and laypeople about the importance of saproxylic beetles, their conservation and the management of saproxylic beetles. In 2010 the Programme group organised a conference “21st Century forestry: Integrating ecologically based, uneven aged silviculture with increased demands for forest. Conference links together the scientific, practical and non-forestry views on uneven-aged silviculture. The conference was attended by 100 experts from 27 countries. A proceeding of extended abstracts was published. Conference closed with optional four days postconference tour. The 12th International Symposium on Operational Research SOR' 13. SOR’13 was a continuity of eleven previous symposia. The main objective of SOR’13 was to advance knowledge, interest and education in OR in Slovenia and worldwide in order to build the intellectual and social capital that are essential in maintaining the identity of OR, especially at a time when interdisciplinary collaboration is proclaimed as significantly important in resolving problems facing the current challenging times. Further, when joining IFORS and EURO, SSISOR agreed to work together with diverse disciplines, i.e. to balance the depth of theoretical knowledge in OR and the understanding of theory, methods and problems in other areas within and beyond OR. We are sure that SOR’13 created the advantage of these objectives, contributed to the quality and reputation of OR with presenting and exchanging new developments, opinions, experiences in the OR theory and practice.
B.01 Organiser of a scientific meeting
COBISS.SI-ID: 247453440From early 2012 on substantial efforts were invested in improvement of forestry organisation in Slovenia. In this process of adaptation and modification of the forestry model in Slovenia an active role of all stakeholders is of outmost importance. Therefore, the Department of Forestry and Renewable Forest Resources, Biotechnical Faculty decided to contribute to the public discussion on models regarding the future organization of forestry. We assumed that the public discussion will contribute to a more efficient and transparent procedure in decision making process. At the conferences the representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment presented currently registered models of the future organization of forestry in Slovenia. Successful examples of organisation of forestry abroad was presented by leading experts on European (Austrian, German) and American systems of forest organisation (dr. G. Frank and prof. dr. E. Zenner). Additionally, legal aspects of organizational structures of common public services and entrepreneurial activities in forestry there were presented. The conferences conducted also general discussion on pros and cons of the proposed models. In the past three years two conferences, round table were organized and several articles in main Slovenian media and professional journals were published. In this way we have contributed to improved decision-making and greater transparency in the adoption of new sectorial legislation. The proposal synthesis of alternative models of the future organization in forestry was provided to decision makers at the political level and the broader public. The presented model in form of “Public forestry enterprise" represents a possibility to initiate new commercial activities. In this way it is possible to transform the tasks of the forestry profession from the administrative and control to entrepreneurial.
F.18 Transfer of new know-how to direct users (seminars, fora, conferences)
COBISS.SI-ID: 3579302In the past period the members of the programme group published several monographs and university textbooks. The books target professionals, forest owners, students, secondary school pupils and general public. In the continuation some examples are given. University textbook: Forest management – managing forest ecosystems. The textbook gives an overview of the field of forest planning. The concept of adaptive forest management, connecting planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation into permanent process, is presented in detail. The main principles of forest management are grounded; the main phases of the planning model are described and illustrated with selected cases. Trees and Shrubs of the Adriatic A monograph Trees and Shrubs of the Adriatic deals with woody plants of the eastern Adriatic coast in the entire area from northern Italy through Slovenia and Croatia to Montenegro and Albania. In the book 126 tree and shrub species are introduced with extended monographs and over 200 additional species are introduced in shorter descriptions in some chapters. Each species is introduced into details, each individual monograph contains following chapters: general introduction, description, ecology, general distribution, distribution in the Adriatic region, use and curiosities and similar species. Special attention is paid upon the distribution of a species in general and in the Adriatic region in particular. Special attention is also paid on photographs which represent species morphological details as well as specimens on their typical or recognisable sites along the entire area. This monograph is the first work representing the complete dendroflora of the region and will act as a reference and cohesive work. Beside basic text, this will be also enabled through large number of photographs as well as through plant names in several languages: Slovene, Croatian, English, German, Italian and Albanian. Beech forests in Slovenia: the ecology and management. The scientific monograph was written over several years. It was published by the Department of Forestry with a circulation of 500 copies. Over 40 researchers and 19 reviewers were involved in the preparation of the monograph. It encompasses biological and ecological characteristics of beech and beech sites, shows the origins and development of beech forests within the territory of the present-day Slovenia. Part of the monograph is dedicated to structural and growth characteristics of beech stands and to the changes of distribution and abundance of beech and beech forests in Slovenia. The monograph describes the use of beech and beech forests during the last few centuries. The monograph fills the gap regarding ecology and management of beech forests in Slovenia. The importance of the monograph for the Slovenian forestry is even greater given the fact that beech forests cover more than 70% of all forest sites in Slovenia. The members of programme group published or were involved in publication of five other scientific or professional monographs.
F.17 Transfer of existing technologies, know-how, methods and procedures into practice
COBISS.SI-ID: 237373184The dissemination activities of research into practice and general public were improved by publication of 84 professional and 41 popular science articles. They reported about all aspects of forestry, forest and wildlife ecology. The researchers thus promoted a positive attitude not only to nature but also to management of natural resources and forestry in general. The researchers reported about their work on conferences (281 presentations), appeared in many interviews, TV and radio broadcasts presenting the characteristics of Slovenian forests and forestry. They participated in organizing and implementing high profile events for the general public "For forests and people" in Pahernik forests (http://novi.pahernikova-ustanova.si/za-gozdove-in-ljudi/).
F.27 Contribution to preserving/protecting natural and cultural heritage