Volodymyr Kravets: Developing Communication and Negotiation Skills

As the Head of the FOREST EUROPE Sub-Commission in IFSA, Volodymyr Kravets has had the unique opportunity to engage in High-Level Policy Dialogues, Expert Level Meetings, and preparations for the upcoming 9th Ministerial Conference. He shares, “These experiences allowed me to see political dialogue and negotiations on an international level, and even participate directly. FOREST EUROPE’s strong capacity support helped us communicate our ideas effectively, leading to impactful suggestions.”

Volodymyr’s involvement has not only sharpened his communication skills but also provided insights into political trends and the demand for forestry specialists. “The skills and knowledge gained in policy development and negotiations open new opportunities and give insights into what actual work can be like,” he adds.

Lea Arbogast: Overcoming Intimidation in Political Processes

Lea Arbogast, who is currently writing her Bachelor’s Thesis on youth integration in environmental political processes, reflects on her experiences with FOREST EUROPE. “Through this event, I learned to be less afraid of political processes and the people involved. Everyone is only human and learns together, regardless of age,” she says.

FOREST EUROPE has provided a platform for youth to have an active voice in shaping their future. “They gave us the platform to have an active voice on equal ground, which is truly empowering,” Lea emphasizes.

Nikolina Mencin: Gaining Insights into Sustainable Forest Management

Nikolina Mencin highlights the knowledge she gained about sustainable forest management and the role of forests in achieving a sustainable economy. “Working with FOREST EUROPE, I learned about the importance of collaboration and skilled workforces,” she notes.

Her experience in policy dialogues and effective communication within a pan-European context has enriched her understanding of forest governance and sustainability, equipping her to contribute meaningfully to the field.

Raghav Sharma: Participating in High-Level Discussions

Raghav Sharma shares how FOREST EUROPE actively involves youth in meaningful ways. “FOREST EUROPE includes young people in Expert Level Meetings and collaborates with IFSA to gather youth perspectives,” he explains. Workshops conducted by FOREST EUROPE have gathered valuable insights from young foresters, which will be presented at the 9th Ministerial Conference.

“Participating in these high-level discussions has been an incredible opportunity for personal and professional growth. It significantly enhanced my knowledge and boosted my confidence,” Raghav adds.

Alina Lehikoinen: Building Confidence and Leadership

Alina Lehikoinen’s work with FOREST EUROPE has made her feel like a true equal in the forestry field. “This has meant opportunities for leadership while having a space to learn and ask questions without judgment,” she shares.

The inclusive and supportive environment created by FOREST EUROPE has inspired Alina to improve other working environments. “I have tried to develop my working environments in a collaborative, respectful, and encouraging direction,” she notes.

These stories from IFSA members underscore the significant impact FOREST EUROPE has on young professionals in the forestry sector. By providing opportunities for active participation, skill development, and leadership, FOREST EUROPE is helping to shape the future of sustainable forest management with the valuable input of the next generation. The entire interview with all the IFSA delegates can be found here.

As we celebrate World Youth Skills Day, we recognize the importance of such collaborations in fostering the growth and development of young professionals who are passionate about making a difference in the world.

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During the meeting, the focal points were the presentation of a report on Novel Green Forest Jobs and the formulation of policy recommendations to promote Green Forest Jobs to policymakers. Experts further discussed important topics like new and innovative roles of jobs in the forestry sector and attractive and engaging ways to communicate these stories to the world. They also talked about how to represent their work effectively at the upcoming IUFRO World Congress in Stockholm.

The second day of the meeting was all about finding better ways to measure the work and jobs in the forestry sector. Participants shared ideas and experiences to improve our understanding of employment in forestry. The meeting ended with a field trip to the nearby Arnsberg forest, where the experts learned about managing forests in the face of climate change and how to deal with forests that have been affected by disturbances like storms or fires.

Photo: Wald und Holz NRW

“We want to thank ‘Wald und Holz NRW’ for their warm welcome and excellent organization,” said Vera Steinberg, workstream leader of Green Jobs and Forest Education and policy advisor at FOREST EUROPE. “Their support made this meeting possible and helped us take important steps to attract the workforce of tomorrow, thus ensuring the sustainable management of our forests.”

The Expert Group Meeting on Green Forest Jobs shows what can be achieved when people work together. By sharing knowledge and ideas, we can build a future where forests thrive, providing benefits for both nature and people.

For further information, please contact:

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The forest sector is known to have a very low representation of females employed (below 20 %). This gender gap is also seen in the traditional forest sector workforce. Coupled with the challenge of an aging workforce, the forest sector urgently needs to find ways of attracting more people, including women, to engage in forest-related activities. Innovative forest-based Green Jobs are a way of alleviating potential labor shortages. Providing a more gender-balanced workplace, improving occupational health and safety at work, making working time more flexible, and offering fair wages will immensely contribute to improving the image of the forest sector and attract women and youth.

Through this webinar, we would like to highlight the Novel Green Forest Jobs based on the findings of the activities of FOREST EUROPE’s Workstream on Green Jobs and Forest Education and, while doing so, also showcase the transition from the traditional forestry profession to the novel green forest jobs-women perspective and the gaps in the curricular.

Objectives of the webinar

• Build up on the previous webinar on “How the heck did I end up here?” from the FOREST EUROPE series “From the Roots to the Canopy”. (More information: www.foresteurope.org)
• Present the results from the survey on Novel Green Forest Jobs and the workshop on Novel Green Forest Jobs to be held at the WS3 Expert Group Meeting (EGM) in October 2023.
• Highlight the transition and the potential of Green Forest Jobs by showcasing success stories of female professionals who pursued the traditional forestry programmes but transitioned to different fields of Green Forest jobs, the reasons behind that, and the challenges and opportunities that are there for women.
• Highlight opportunities and gaps regarding Novel Green Forest Jobs in the forest-related curriculum.

[1] Green Forest jobs, as defined by FOREST EUROPE, refer to “Jobs that provide forest-related goods and services while meeting the requirements of sustainable forest management and decent work.

Find here the Webinar programme, and speaker bios.

Date: 12^th December 2023, 2:00 PM CET

Time: 90 minutes

Target group: Students from a forest-related programmes, universities, Expert Group “Green Jobs,” industry, interested public, FE interested observer organisations.

Moderator: Vera Steinberg (FOREST EUROPE)

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Vera Steinberg and Juliet Achieng.

The congress was organized by the Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald Bundesverband e.  V. (SDW) and the European Forest Pedagogics Network with support from FOREST EUROPE. Matthias Schwoerer from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Head of the Unit European and International Forest Politics opened the meeting by emphasizing on the importance of the topic while also conveying his expectations of the congress.  Vera Steinberg, who was a panelist representing FOREST EUROPE, mentioned that Forest Education is one of the key areas of FOREST EUROPE’s work within the workstream “Green Jobs and Forest Education”. Here, they strive to raise awareness about FOREST EUROPE’s contribution to the forest policy process at the Pan-European level, capacity building and showcasing Green Jobs in the forest sector. The workstream’s activities and goals are aligned with the need for having skilled personnel to adapt European forests to climate change and managing society’s increasing demands on forests. 

In collaboration with SDW, FOREST EUROPE organized a working space on “How should forest-based ESD be integrated in the European Forest Policy Process?” In the discussions, they reflected on the importance of ESD, identified what was missing from the policies and lastly how to address the gaps.  

The main messages from the discussion include: 

• Forest-based ESD should start at an early age and continue through one’s lifetime since there is no end to learning.  
• New learning models are needed, which give pupils and students sufficient time to interact and learn about forests. The curriculum should also offer opportunities for more outdoor activities and other extracurricular activities. 
• Forest-based ESD actions and initiatives should be streamlined to amplify the voices of the actors and increase impact.  
• The policy process is perceived as slow and difficult to influence but proactiveness in communicating the needs for ESD is needed to ensure that the messages reach the policy makers. This can be achieved by e.g., producing summaries for policymakers and actively approach them. 
• Always build on existing initiatives or political agreements such as the Sustainable Development Goals and build partnerships across departments, ministries, states, regions and countries. 

It is without a doubt that the congress offered a great opportunity to pool and expand the expertise of the participants, boost the existing forest education network, and increased the interest and awareness on forest-based Education for Sustainable Development. It was a privilege for FOREST EUROPE to collaborate with SDW who have been working on crucial forest topics including forest pedagogics for many years.

More information about the Congress is available here.

The post “Learning to create together ‒ How can Forest Education for Sustainable Development build partnerships and empower people?” first appeared on FOREST EUROPE.

Hotel Steigenberger in Dresden, where the ELM was held.

Rapid Response Mechanism: supporting the Ukrainian forest sector and its forests

The ELM acknowledged the full implementation of the Ministerial Decision to support the Ukrainian forest sector and its forests from August 2022, which was created within FOREST EUROPE’s rapid response mechanism to react to emerging issues of relevance. The ELM recognized the importance of Ukraine’s forests and the challenges they face due to the war and demonstrated a strong commitment to helping the country in recovering. ELM’s delegates also agreed to a smooth transfer of the work to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to ensure continued support and cooperation in the region.

Silvia Abruscato introducing the High-Level Policy Dialogue 2023.

The 2^nd High-Level Policy Dialogue on Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and resilience

The ELM delegates supported the organization of the 2^nd High-Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD), which will be held in Berlin on November 9, 2023, providing a platform for policymakers, experts, practitioners, forest owners, students, researchers, and interested stakeholders to discuss how SFM can maintain and enhance forest resilience, from an environmental, social, and economic perspective. With a hybrid meeting format, the event aims to harness high-level speakers’ collective knowledge and experience to chart a path to a more sustainable future. Stay tuned to our social media for updates, or visit talks.foresteurope.org.

Slovakia, Sweden, and Switzerland were very active in the discussions.

Think Tank on the dynamic concept of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM)

The presentation of the ongoing efforts of the Think Tank about SFM highlighted the need to address gaps in current policy developments and emphasized the importance of developing tools and instruments to enhance SFM. The ELM recognized its relevance as a core activity of FOREST EUROPE. Additionally, forest monitoring was emphasized as a synergistic approach, and the importance of creating new narratives on SFM as a dynamic concept was underscored. The delegates’ opinion reinforces the significance of these efforts and sets the stage for future progress in SFM, monitoring, and reporting.

Yana Vikhtiuk (UA) and Tomasz Markiewicz (PL).

Preparations for the 9th Ministerial Conference in 2024

The meeting concluded with discussions on the preparations for the upcoming 9th Ministerial Conference (9MC), scheduled for October 1-2, 2024, near Bonn, Germany. As a significant event during the FOREST EUROPE signatory’s term, the conference represents the decision-making body of the process and marks the end of the German chairmanship. Ministers of signatory countries, renowned experts, and high-level representatives from observers’ organizations from the pan-European region will convene to discuss strategies and actions shaping the future of our forests. One key goal is to make the SFM concept fit for the future and to establish a Forest Risk Facility (FoRISK), to address forest risks, like climate change, forest fires, and biodiversity loss.

Green Jobs and Forest Education developments

The report on Green Jobs and Forest Education emphasized involving future generations and addressing challenges in shaping innovative pathways. Engaging policymakers is crucial in finding collaborative solutions to these challenges. The benefits and shortage of skilled personnel associated with Green Jobs and Forest Education were acknowledged, and the ELM offered guidance for future efforts in green job development and forest education.

Field trip on the second day after the conference

After being in a meeting room, an exciting field excursion took place to delve into the practical application of SFM in the State forests of Saxony, followed by a visit to the esteemed Campus Tharandt, one of the oldest forestry educational institutions worldwide, established in 1811.

Excursion to the Tharandt forest.

What have we learned?

It is important to maintain the momentum and build on the results of this meeting. Collaborative efforts, sound policy frameworks, and proactive measures are critical to achieving the vision of SFM for the benefit of current and future generations. The ELM demonstrated what can be achieved when nations, international organizations, and NGOs join in their pursuit of a more sustainable future.

Chris Quine (UK) and Helga Pülzl (EFI).

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To mark this important day, FOREST EUROPE hosted students and lecturers from the Tropical Forestry Master’s Programme (International Forest Governance & Multilateralism-Chair of Tropical and International Forestry) who were on an International Forest Governance Course Excursion to international organizations in Bonn focusing on forests and climate. They learned how FOREST EUROPE as a Pan-European voluntary high-level political process contributes to the development of common strategies to protect and sustainably manage forests while also offering a platform for intergovernmental dialogue and cooperation. Our institutional structure is made up of 45 European states and the European Union as signatories, while observers comprise of 14 countries and 45 organizations. Roundtable Meeting (RTM), Working Group and Advisory Group are some of the tools used for strategic debate while Expert Group and Workshops or Webinars are for technical debates. 

Thomas Haußmann also highlighted the significance of FOREST EUROPE’s policies on forests which have a far-reaching impact even at the international level. Some examples presented include the definition of the pan-European concept of Sustainable Forest Management in 1993, the guidelines, criteria and indicators for Sustainable Forest Management. The five editions of the “State of Europe’s Forests” (SoEF) report have provided comprehensive information on the status and trends in forests and forestry in the pan-European region, based on the criteria for SFM with the current edition (SoEF 2020) produced in collaboration with the FAO and UNECE.  Since its inception, Forest Europe has developed 22 Ministerial Resolutions, 2 Decisions and 2 Declarations.  

The next question in the students’ minds was how they as youth could be involved in FOREST EUROPE’s activities. Since the International Forestry Students Association (IFSA) is one of our partner organizations, the students could be Head of the FOREST EUROPE Sub-Commission (one of the IFSA official positions under the International Policy Commission). Forest Europe also organizes webinars and workshops targeted at students e.g. Forest Education in Africa and Europe Workshop. The Youth Forest Policy Days was also another novel project where Forest Europe partnered with IFSA to expose students to the international forest policy process by bringing experts on relevant topics, such as sustainable forest management, deforestation, landscape restoration and forest finance, to share their knowledge while also providing real-life examples of their work. The students can also join any of the three sub-groups in Work Stream 3 (Analysis, Transition and Communication/PR) or participate as observers in our events.  We also provide content for the TreE-Learning Platform by IFSA and the latest course by FOREST EUROPE is available here.  The Grow Green Jobs Campaign showcased endless new job opportunities in the forestry field for young people interested in working in the sector. We are exploring more ways of bringing the youth on board including in the next Ministerial Conference in 2024.  

Another question the students were eager to learn more about was the desired skill set of a forestry professional required by our institution. Juliet Achieng informed the students that the importance of subject-specific skills, human relationships, leadership and other generic competencies, communication, research and data management and general academic competencies have increased over the last ten years and will continue to be important to the near future. More information is available from these studies: Green Forest Jobs in the Pan-European Region, Trends in forest-related employment and tertiary forest education, Global Assessment of Forest Education and the Global Outlook on Education.  

We at FOREST EUROPE appreciate the interest of the students in our work! 

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The conference will have well-known forest policy experts that will explain how forest policy works and bring real world examples. It is an opportunity to actively get involved in policy and learn how to make a difference. Meet other youth with similar interest, network with policy expert and get inspired to take actions.

The event is planned on two days with different activities:

• Workshop day: there will be three workshops on capacity building, soft skills and interaction with experts, exchange of skills knowledge outside the usual curriculum and networking with fellow students or early career scientists. The Living Library will be presented as an innovative format that raise awareness of the obstacles, challenges or solutions other people faced in their professional lives.
• Conference day: main focus on the importance of global forest policies, what they have achieved, and also where their limitations are. There will be an introduction to international Forest Policy, the role of youth in forest policy, with real-world examples of implemented forest policy, finalizing with a Panel discussion with all major stakeholders.

Register here!

The post Youth Forest Policy Days first appeared on FOREST EUROPE.

The most discussed topics were the role of policymakers in connecting educational needs with the ministries in charge of forestry, the role of primary and secondary education in creating a sense of importance towards nature, the lack of technological and digital tools, and the motivations that lead young people to study forestry.

In one the answers, Professor James Kung’u stated that the only way to get forestry ministries to devote more funds to education is to make preservation a tangible concern of the population. And this can only be achieved through a good curriculum that starts from the early years of school learning. Therefore, one of the major differences found in both reports is the structure of the curricula and the type, quantity, and quality of forestry-related jobs available.

In this one-and-a-half-hour session, each region’s lead author had a separate space to present the results of the reports in terms of needs, opportunities, gaps, and approaches to forestry education programs in Europe and Africa. This was followed by a round of direct and open-ended questions from three forestry students and early career scientists from the two continents to the authors. Questions were asked from different angles such as how one educational system could learn best from the advantages of the other from both African and European perspectives. 

One of the attendees, Dr. Fola Babalola from Nigeria affirmed that it is time for forestry professionals to invite government officials and policymakers to their meetings in order to inform them about the importance of biodiversity and forestry conservation. Professor Mika Rekola supported Dr. Fola’s opinion expressing that “forest professionals could be more extrovert and do more communication with public and policymakers”.  

Joining student organizations such as IFSA and helping in creating projects that improve forest education were other proposed actions to get involved at an early stage of the forester’s career. As another example, exchange programs for staff and students were suggested because some African universities already have Erasmus+ exchange programs with their European counterparts. For instance, IUFRO just made an open call for funded short scientific visits for female early career professionals (deadline 31 August 2022). 

On the other hand, Professor Mika Rekola emphasized that in Europe much of the change that has taken place in recent decades to draw attention to forest preservation and obtain resources has been due to student action and entrepreneurship. For him, it is important that projects and ideas come directly from students because it is very difficult for it to happen the other way around. As examples of direct student actions, he mentioned IFSA’s TreE-Learning platform, which was born as a response to a need to fill the gaps in formal and informal forestry education.  

Before the end of the webinar, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions directly to the authors. There was a participation of close to 50 users connected simultaneously both in the Zoom meeting and in the live broadcast on LinkedIn Live from the FOREST EUROPE website. Attendees also shared relevant links to scholarships or exchange initiatives of interest in the chat. 

Related shared content during the session: 

• An example of an entrepreneurship event, organized by students in Finland.  
• How to contact policymakers, an idea from EU and Finland 
• A book on “Building a Successful Forestry Career in Africa: Inspirational Stories and Opportunities” is available in English and French.  is available in English and French.

The post “There is a need for people to understand the value of conservation and nature” – Prof. Dr. James Kung’u first appeared on FOREST EUROPE.

To address these challenges, on the last day of the World Forestry Congress 2022 held in Korea, the side event Forest skills to pay the bills! The juncture of education and employment took place. It was organized jointly by EFI, IFSA, IUFRO, and FOREST EUROPE, collaborating with the Thünen Institute, Forest Services of Natural Resources Canada, and the International Labour Organization. The event was organized as a 90-minutes hybrid event with an interactive format including a panel of on-site and online participants and audience participation. It hosted diverse participants including a high youth presence, the employment and policy sector as well as tertiary educators.

First, an overview of the state of play of green forest jobs within the pan-European region was presented by the Thünen Institute (Germany). This was followed by a series of dialogues by four representatives of the different stakeholder groups. In the session, the panelists discussed questions including “What are the skills and competencies expected of professionals in forestry today?” “What are the most significant changes in the post-covid world of work and how does this affect the forestry sector?” “How are universities preparing themselves educationally to face these changes and challenges?” or “How can students and policymakers cooperate to raise awareness of the significance of forest-related careers?” Each dialogue was framed by a video, presenting the results of the EFI-IFSA-IUFRO project “Global student networking and green jobs in the forest sector”. At the end of the session, attendees at the event in Korea were able to raise their questions and concerns regarding the paradigm shifts in forestry education and how the pandemic affected, in part, the practical issue of their professional development.

Finally, FOREST EUROPE’s “Grow Green Jobs Campaign” was introduced and the audience was invited to follow the campaign on Instagram.

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In the context of FOREST EUROPE’S webinar series “From the roots to the canopy” we cordially invite you to join our online webinar. With this joint action of IFSA, IUFRO and FOREST EUROPE, we want to enable a dialogue between Africa and Europe to share key findings of the reports, and also discuss the results.

At first, the main authors will present the respective regional reports and inform about the current status, needs and challenges of forest education. Then we jump directly to the discussion: two students and one early career scientist will discuss with the authors about differences in forest education in the two regions, what Europe can learn from Africa (and vice versa), and what needs to be done to enhance forest education.

This is followed by a direct interaction with the audience. You will have the chance to ask questions and learn why the reports are relevant for forestry students, educators and policy makers. We hope to see you there!

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