Brief history of the Department

The Department of Forestry was founded on 05th December1920, when the first generation of students was enrolled in the Faculty of Agriculture in Belgrade, consisting of 36 students in the agricultural and 9 students in the Forestry department. This date is celebrated as the day of the Faculty of Forestry.

The University Act of 28th June 1930, in Article 4 stated that the University of Belgrade has 6 faculties and among them the Faculties of Agriculture and Forestry. Then for the first time the term “forestry” was mentioned in the name of the faculty of agriculture.

Before the outbreak of World War II the Forestry department of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry employed 21 teachers and a total of 34 subjects were taught.

In April 1941, started World War II, which interrupted the lessons and work at the Faculty. The lectures started again in the academic year 1945/46, when the Forestry department of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry enrolled students in two educational streams: forestry and forest industry.

With the Decision of the Government of the People’s Republic of Serbia of 05th February 1949 the Faculties of Agriculture and Forestry separated as independent higher education institutions. The newly established University of Belgrade – Faculty of Forestry was the first independent Faculty of Forestry in Yugoslavia.

With the Decision of the National Committee of Belgrade of  02nd April, 1953 the Faculty of Forestry moved to the new building in no. 1 Kneza Višeslava Street in Banovo brdo, where it is still located today.

According to the 1956 Statute Wood-industrial department was established at the Faculty of Forestry in addition to the Department of Forestry, and according to the curriculum of 01st October 1958 there were 5 departments at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Forestry: forestry, residential greening, erosion and flood control, mechanical wood processing and chemical wood processing.

At the initiative of prof. Dr. Branislav Jovanović from the Department of Forestry the Arboretum of the Faculty of Forestry was established in 1958, as a living collection of trees and shrubs used for training students of all generations until the present day.

In 1961, the Faculty of Forestry had 16 chairs, of which 8 belonged to the Department of Forestry. Out of 30 institutes, 18 belonged to the Department of Forestry, while 6 of them had their own laboratories.

In 1966 the Faculty of Forestry had 7 departments and 16 institutes, while 8 institutes had their own laboratories. A nursery was established within the Institute for forest plantations in addition to the laboratory. In the Institute of Entomology and forest protection an insectarium was established in addition to the laboratory.

In 1973, the departments of the Faculty of Forestry were called institutes, so four institutes were established at the Faculty and among them the Institute of Forestry. Since 1990, the name Department of Forestry is in use again, and 6 chairs constituted  this department.

According to the Bologna Process, since 2006 there have been four departments at the Faculty of Forestry (Department of Forestry, Department of Wood Processing, Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture Department of Ecological Engineering for soil and water resources protection). Studies are organized at three levels: undergraduate studies (4 years), master’s degree studies (1 year) and doctoral studies (3 years). This system of studies remained until today.

Today, there are 4 departments at the Faculty of Forestry, (Department of Forestry, Department of technologies, management and design of furniture and wood products, Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and Department of Ecological Engineering for soil and water resources protection).

Today, the Department of Forestry has 8 chairs: the chairs of general subjects, forest ecology, protection and improvement of the environment, seed science, nursery practice and afforestation, silviculture, forest management planning, forest utilization and hunting with wildlife protection, forest economics and organization and forest protection. The nature and complexity of the study program of Forestry can be seen from the names of chairs with classified teaching disciplines reflecting their multidisciplinary character. Modern study programs of undergraduate, master and doctoral studies provide future students of the Department of Forestry with the opportunity to acquire comprehensive knowledge in the field of forestry.
Forestry Department has 67 employees and 33 teachers, 11 teaching assistants and teaching associates and 23 professional associates and laboratory technicians.

A total of 4920 students have graduated at the Department of Forestry, of which 4701 students in the old program, which was in force until 2006 and 219 students according to the new program. Since the establishment of the Department, a total of 244 students graduated from the old program of Master of Science studies. A total of 211 students have graduated from the Master’s degree study program since 2006. PhD has been obtained by a total of 164 students, of which 153 students in the old program,  and 11 students  in the new program adopted after 2006.