Bachelors Forestry Program at the Department of Forest Ecology and Management

Join the movement to becoming a forest expert-

your first step begins HERE!

Our world-class team of experts can help you channel your passion into creating a better future for forests and people worldwide

Our courses aim to improve forest management in Sweden and globally based on understanding processes within the forest ecosystem. During the first two years, theory is mixed with practical exercises in the field. The third year is used for profiling. Courses can then be taken abroad or at different SLU locations in e.g. Umeå, Uppsala, Skinnskatteberg or Alnarp. During the summer season, you will spend large parts of your study time out in the forest and in the fields and make several study trips.

As a forester, you will work with a renewable natural resource specializing in an area that interests you, perhaps forest economics, logistics, forestry, technology or nature conservation.

Here you can find more information about the courses available

The forestry program

The Forest Science Programme starts with the two courses "Forest Uses and Values" and "Forest Soil Science and Climatology". The courses run in parallel at half-speed in order to make better use of the snow-free season for field activities and to be able to collaborate in certain elements.

Forest - use and values

Seen from different perspectives and interests, forests hold many different values. Building on the fields of forest management, silviculture, forest mensuration, botany and dendrology, this course aims to provide the student a knowledge base to enable taking part in discussions about sustainable forest management, together with giving knowledge about different ways of inventorying and assessing forests, dependent on perspective and interests.

Course leader:

Johannes Larson: johannes.larson@slu.se

Ola Lindroos: ola.lindroos@slu.se

Forest soil science and climatology

Starting in the Swedish conditions, this course processes the basics of climatology, geology and land use, and how they affect forests and our prospects for sustainable forest management.

Course leader:

Matthias Peichl,

Ulrik Ilstedt

Forest Ecology and botany

Starting from the perspective of forests, this course focuses on the basics of botany and ecology, the impacts of natural and human interference, and how to use and apply the theory of these fields in forest management and nature conservation.

Course leader Petter Axelsson Elisabet Bohlin

Introduction to forestry practices

The course provides practical and theoretical knowledge about different measures and systems within forest management, how these measures affect and get affected by society, and the long-term effects of natural conditions and human management on forest development.

Course leader Ola Lindroos

Northern Sweden's forests and landscapes, Valbar

A large part of the course is a study tour. The goal of the tour is to give on site experience and knowledge about the prerequisites for forest management in N Sweden with the challenges involved in a hash boreal climate with short vegetation periods, while taking into account other land use and interests.

Course leader Gustaf Egnell Elisabet Bohlin

Forest management and nature conservation biology

The course focuses on topics like how human activity, in different ways, can both cause harm and be used to benefit forest ecosystems. Overall it offers broad and in-depth insight into the construction, management and use of forests and woodland as a resource for different values and goals.

Course admin Karin Nilsson

Forest ecosystems and biomass chemistry I

A course in chemistry with relevance for forest ecosystems that as a start will centre around basic theory and computational methodology, in general and inorganic chemistry. In the second part, the course moves on to basic organic chemistry, focusing on wood chemistry, and biochemistry, focusing on the cell and wood composites.

Course leader Ulf Skyllberg

Forest ecosystems and biomass chemistry II

A course in chemistry with relevance for forest ecosystems that offers more in depth knowledge about topics like chemical bindings and equilibrium theory, organic chemistry focusing on appliance on wood chemistry, and biochemical theory focusing on the transfer of genetic information in the cell. In the end the course will also include a shorter part about processes in soil science.

Course leader Peter Kindgren

Southern Sweden's forests and landscapes, Valbar

This is a course where the greater part of teaching will be held in the field, in combination with some study visits. The focus will mainly be to gain knowledge about the characteristics of forests in Southern Sweden, and aims, benefits and risks with different ways of forest management.

Course leader Per-Ola Hedwall

Forest ecology and conservation biology

The course provides in-depth knowledge on ecological concepts and theory related to forest ecosystems with a focus on conservation biology. With a background theory in place, emphasis will then turn to the challenges and solutions within the field.

Course leader Stefan Hupperts Anita Norman

Ecological Disturbances in Forests - Silviculture Challenges Under Climate Change

Climate change affects forest ecosystems in profound ways by altering ecological disturbance regimes. Focusing on managed northern temperate and boreal forests, the course aims to provide a deeper understanding of disturbance regimes, the mechanisms behind them and the consequences climate change has for forest ecology and management.

Course admin Gustaf Egnell

Soil, water and meteorological processes in the forest ecosystem

A course with the aim to provide knowledge on how forest ecosystem composition and functions are regulated by soil properties, water and climate, and through that create insight in how forests can be used in a sustainable way in the long term.

Course leader Matthias Peichl