Comparison of Forest Engineering Students’ Attitudes towards Their Education and Future Jobs: Case Results from Turkey

Forestry is a complex multidimensional discipline that implies a broad job description and task variety for forest engineers. Thus, the scope of professional forestry education is expanding and diversifying. It is essential to determine the students’ attitudes towards their education and future jobs to develop focused solutions in forestry education. In this context, the present study aims to analyze the attitudes of forest engineering students towards their education and future jobs. This study evaluated and compared the students’ attitudes over a 10-year period through questionnaires administered to senior forest engineering students of the Faculty of Forestry at Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa (IUC). It was revealed that, during job selection, non-job factors (39.5%) were nearly as influential as job-related factors (53.7%). Moreover, students’ career plans were based mainly on working in public institutions (41.4%) and simply doing their job (78.1%). The results showed that students’ views on education have improved over time; however, they have doubts about their readiness to succeed in their careers (M = 3.41) and the adequacy of their knowledge and experience level (M = 2.95). Their attitudes on their future job were not wholly positive: They have doubts about finding a job (M = 2.90), having satisfactory working conditions (M = 3.38), and income (M = 3.57). The results of this study can support decision-making in forest education and human resources in forestry.

Physiological and psychological effects of forest healing focused on plant fragrance therapy for maladjusted soldiers

Background and objective: This study verified the physiological and psychological effects of plant fragrance therapy to analyze whether the therapy has a forest healing effect on maladjusted soldiers. Methods: This study was conducted from March 14 to May 31, 2020 according to the Green Camp curriculum for 2 weeks per recruit class. Thus, plant fragrance therapy was implemented twice each for three recruit classes. Each session of the program was carried out for 4 hours from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The venue was the garden within the camp and the forest nearby. Forest healing activities using plant fragrances were led by 1 forest education specialist and 1 assistant. The effects of plant fragrance therapy for maladjusted soldiers were analzed analyzed by quantifying physiological and psychological changes through measuring brain waves and stress levels before and after the therapy. Results: As a result of analyzing BRQ and SQ to determine the physiological and psychological healing effect of plant fragrance therapy, both the left and right brain showed higher BRQ and SQ after the therapy with statistical significance. This indicates that plant fragrance therapy on maladjusted soldiers helped positively stabilize their negative psychological and behavioral dispositions, and stabilization of brain waves lowered physical and mental stress and improved self-regulation and immunity. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in ATO. This is the result of analyzing the stress-coping mechanism. Troubleshooting (t = -2.702, df = 61, p = .009), emotional remission (t = -2.173, df = 61, p = .034), pursuit of help (t = -3.286), df = 61, p = .002), and wishful thinking (t = -3.714, df = 61, p < .001) showed statistically significant results. Conclusion: Applying plant fragrance therapy to maladjusted soldiers positively stabilized their negative psychological and behavioral dispositions and helped their self-regulation. Thus, plant fragrance therapy has psychological and physical forest healing effect on maladjusted soldiers.

Climate Change and Informal Education in the Opinion of Forest Users in Poland

Climate change affects various aspects of the economy, agriculture, economics, and politics, including forestry. There is more and more talk about the real impact of the effects of climate change. This paper presents the results of a survey on the perceptions of two groups, foresters and recreational forest users, about climate change and its impacts on forested areas; 130 foresters and 146 recreational forest users participated in the survey (total n = 276). The survey was conducted from April to November 2019 and consisted of three parts. The first part included questions about the demographic characteristics of the respondents (gender, age, education, place of residence), the second part focused on the respondents’ views on climate change and its implications for forest ecosystems, and the third part focused on informal forest education and its relationship to climate change. The results of our study indicated that progressive climate change affecting forest ecosystems is clearly felt by the professional group related to forests such as foresters, and to a lesser extent by people using forests for tourism and recreation. According to foresters, the effects of climate change on forest areas include rapid changes in weather patterns and more frequent insect infestations. On the other hand, people resting in forests mainly observe the lack of snow cover and occurrence of drought. Informal forest education insufficiently covers the topic of climate change. Thus, our study can help guide informal education towards topics related to climate change and the need for sustainable forest use.

Making Change Visible – An Explorative Case Study of Dealing With Climate Change Deniers in Forest Education

This case study addresses the issue of climate change denial among students in their first year of vocational education. It was possible to shake the belief that man-made climate change was not happening, through letting students measure the potential of natural forest vegetation and compare their findings with those gathered by their peers nine years earlier. The comparison revealed that old forests had turned into ecosystems, which were adapted for dryer warmer climates. For education for sustainable development, forest education and biology lessons offer the opportunity to establish a long term project, in which peer-to-peer-learning over generations of students is possible, with a high rate of acceptance of the results generated by the former students.

Inventory of herbs plants at three different locations in forest education of Mulawarman University, Samarinda, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Many plants have the potential to be medicinal from the herbaceous group. Herbaceous plants have short, small steam and have a wet trunk because they contain many water and non-woody. This research aims to inventory species of herbaceous plants that can be medicinal plants and other uses in three different locations. The results showed that 12 species were found in the slope area, 340 individuals. The highest number of SDRn of 29.26% was Nephrolepis biserrata (SW.) Schott. In the ramp, the area has been found of 11 species of herbaceous, 215 individuals. The highest number of SDRn of 34.81% was Phrynium pubinerve Blume. In a hill, area has been found 16 species of herbaceous, 542 individuals. The highest number of SDRn of 38.72% was Phrynium pubinerve Blume. Dominance index (C) in three locations research was 0.26, 0.23 and 0.31. Similarity index (ISs) in three locations was 60.87% (slope-ramp: high), 59.26% (slope-hill: medium) and 57.14% (ramp-hill: medium). There were 11 species as medicinal plants, 17 species as ornamental plants, and 2 species as crafts.

Understanding the Importance of Harmonized Landscape Design for Forest Education Centers in Malaysia

The Forest Education Centre is a place that provides environmental education facilities where the community, teachers and students can visit to learn more about the forest environment. Therefore, landscape design elements’ in this area which include buildings, should be visually in harmony with the sense of place and its surroundings. The design must concern form, color, materials, landscape degradation and preservation of natural processes. Unfortunately, landscape design elements in this area have been built based on in-situ approach where the absence of a ‘code of design’ in creating a well-built environment of landscape and architectural quality has contributed to inharmonious designs. This had led to the significant function of identity and meaning in securing the sense of place which was not adequately examined in the process. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to raise awareness among the stakeholders and the sensitivity towards the importance of harmonizing design in Forest Education Centres. Among the objectives of this study is to firstly understand the user’s perception towards harmonies designs in a forest environment. Secondly, it is to suggest harmonies design approaches towards forest sustainability. The intended audience for this paper include directors, facilities managers, landscape architects, forest officers, architects and engineers.

ROLE OF NATURAL SCIENTIFIC PRACTICE IN FOREST EDUCATION

The work demonstrates the possibilities of this type of study in the field of organizing the research activities of students on the example of a laboratory workshop on the mechanics of liquid and gas. In addition, the obtained by the students in the course of the usual laboratory work, result expands the general understanding of modeling the processes of thermal expansion of incompressible matter.