The Institute of Forestry, founded by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, will soon be celebrating 70 years of successful practice of basic, applied and development research in the field of forestry and environmental protection and improvement.
Researchers of the Institute of Forestry are leaders and members of many highly rated international and national research project teams. Their projects have been successfully implemented through: establishment of new and improvement of existing forests, reclamation and landscaping of the land degraded by surface mining of coal and other raw materials, afforestation of extremely unfavorable sites, soil erosion control, multifunctional valorization of urban forests, spatial planning, forest policy, introduction of new technologies of seedling production and breeding, forest tending and protection.
Scientific research profile of the Institute of Forestry has been developed as a synthesis of scientific and expert knowledge in the field of forestry and environmental protection.
Today, cooperation with the leading research institutions in Europe, particularly in the Balkan region, is being further strengthened through our participation in international projects. Researchers of the Institute of Forestry are actively involved as leaders or associates in the following projects which constitute the framework of our cooperation programme: FODEMO – Luxembourg, Montenegro www.fodemo.com Slovakia IN2WOOD www.in2wood.eu ICP Forest www.icp-forests.net COST Action FP1201(FACESMAP) www.forestportal.efi.int COST Action TN1401 (CAPABAL). www.cost.eu IPA AMF Adriatic model forest www.news.efi.int FOPER I EFI – European Forest Institute, www.efi.int FOPER II; EFI – European Forest Institute. www.foper.org, and other projects.
The Institute income is realized by its participation in research projects funded by the Ministry of Science of the Republic of Serbia, the Ministry of Agriculture, Environmental Protection and Water Management – Forest Directorate, the Secretariat of Environment of the City of Belgrade, international projects and sales of goods and services in domestic and foreign markets.
There are 49 employees at the Institute – 21 doctors of science (PhDs), 5 masters of science (MSc), 12 bachelors (BSc) and 11 secondary graduates. The current status of some employees is expected to be changed in the near future since six masters (PhD students) and 8 graduate engineers (Bologna PhD students) are soon to defend their doctoral thesis. The Institute of Forestry respects the Law on Gender Equality (“Official Gazette of RS”, No. 52/2021) in its business policy. The document – Gender equality plan is being drafted.
As part of our ongoing commitment to staff development, a great number of young researchers, whose engagement is supported by the Ministry of Education and Science, are constantly involved in the projects of the Institute.
Мission: To contribute to global sustainable development and improvement of forests, through research studies in forestry and environmental protection.
Vision: To be a leading forest research organization vital to the future of Serbia.
Aims: To make a significant contribution to: the development of science and technology, implementation of scientific achievements, stimulation of social activities, and promotion of international cooperation.
Resources: Scientific staff; modern, well-equipped offices and classrooms; computer equipment; accredited laboratory; library, information and documentation center; conference / congress hall; glasshouse, greenhouses and nurseries for experimental crop production; experimental plot `Lipovica`; archive of living forest fruit trees `Lipovica`; sample plot `Pester`; 130 Level I sample plots for monitoring forest vitality, Level II sample plots: Kopaonik, Crni Vrh, Mokra Gora.
In addition to research, we offer consulting, engineering and design services. Thanks to its exceptional offer of products and services, the Institute of Forestry is a reliable partner in the pursuit of inventive scientific and technical solutions in the field of forestry and environmental protection.
HISTORY IN BRIEF
- 1926 – The Institute of Forestry Research was founded by the Ministry of Forestry. It stopped working in the same year;
- August 25, 1945 – the Committee on The Forests of Serbia (act no. 7313) within the Department of Forestry Improvement established The Office of Scientific Research in Forestry with the task of managing scientific research in forestry. Its aim was to improve the organization of work in forest management;
- October 10, 1945 – the Ministry of Forestry of PR Serbia was reorganized (by decision of the Minister no. 9520), and the Central Forest Directorate was established with a Forest Management Office within it. The newly-founded Institute of Forestry was part of it and its task was to perform the “scientific research for practical purposes in all areas of forestry and forest management using forest terminology”;
- May 1, 1946 – the Ministry of Forestry of PR Serbia issued a Decree on the establishment and organization of the Institute of Scientific Research in Forestry as a separate institution. This date has been accepted as the establishment date of the independent Institute of Scientific Research in Forestry.
- February 14, 2012 – The Institute of Forestry became an accredited research and development institute by decision 640-01-1/33 made by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, the Committee on Accreditation of research organizations.
The work of the Institute of Forestry researchers has resulted in afforestation of vast barren areas of the Pester plateau, Vlasina, Ibar gorge, etc.
The Institute of Forestry has received special recognition for successful reclamation of severely degraded forest sites and landfills of the surface coal mine “Kolubara”.
About 400,000ha of land have been afforested or reclaimed in Serbia since 1960, which is an impressive cultural and scientific achievement.
Since the 1950s, the Institute has been strengthening intensive international cooperation, through the implementation of numerous research projects of the so-called American programme, financed from the joint Yugoslav-American funds: Breeding walnut for the production of high-quality wood; Improving the techniques of oak breeding; Research on the possibility of using biological methods to control economically important diseases of forest trees, etc.