Monika Stridsman, Honorary Doctor of Forest Sciences

Forester Monika Stridsman has had a long-standing career in the Swedish forest industry. Her career began at Domänverket, the former public authority that managed state-own forests, where she stayed until 1989. Since then, she has been the managing director of the Swedish Forestry Association, secretary-general of the WWF, manager at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, chair of the Swedish Forestry Society and director-general of the Swedish Forest Agency. She has been a member of the Royal Swedish Agricultural Academy since 1990.

When Monika Stridsman began her career, forestry was a much more male-dominated profession than it is today, and she was one of the first women officials in the Swedish forestry sector. Throughout her career, she has broken new ground and in recent decades, she has served as an important role model for women foresters. In addition to her professional life in various companies and organisations, she has also managed to contribute greatly to various boards and committees.

Monika Stridsman’s passion for forestry research and education has been an asset to SLU. She has been on the board of several projects funded by Mistra; she has been involved with the SLU Swedish Species Information Centre, and a member of the SLU board. Thanks to her dedication, issues that are important for the industry have been raised at SLU’s Faculty of Forest Sciences. Her interest in public outreach has contributed significantly to the wide impact of research results from the faculty, and their significance for the daily activities in the forest.