2023 Volume 105 Issue 5 Pages 154-165
To improve forest science education, we conducted a national survey of universities and colleges. It was conducted in 2021 and targeted university faculty members at 26 schools offering education in forest science: 25 schools had pre-existing forestry curriculums, and one school was a newcomer. Twenty-four schools answered it: 8 schools had a forest science special course in a department, 10 schools had a these course, and another 6 schools taught them as part of another course. As a result, the number of required subjects was 400: 200 subjects were related to forests, 65 were related to forest products, and the others were integrated subjects or practice. The number of elective subjects was 714: 434 were related to forests, and 177 were related to forest products. Both forest and forest products subjects were offered in 14 schools as required subjects. The educational contents of forest science were divided into 11 categories: tree physiology, ecology, silviculture and pedogenesis, insects and animals related to control, disaster prevention and hydrology, engineering, management, policy, contents involved in culture, land surveying, and wood science. The curricula were divided into three types by necessity of forest science contents: I) 12 schools offered more than half of the contents as required subjects, II) 10 schools offered more than half of them included in elective subjects, and III) the other 4 schools offered only several contents. In conclusion, each university or college offered various contents related to forest science, making it difficult to grasp the main educational elements.
