Our mission, our identity, our structure

Forests and the services they provide are at the center of research and teaching at our faculty. On the one hand, it is about describing, understanding and modelling the natural forest dynamics on different temporal and spatial scales, as well as tracing the interactions of organisms in forest ecosystems and the interactions of forests with the abiotic environment. Secondly, we are investigating to what extent the results of this basic scientific research can be used for the sustainable use and protection of forests and their biodiversity in all parts of the world and how the most important renewable resource of the forest, the wood, can be harvested as efficiently as possible and in the sense of climate protection can be used. Thirdly, we address the social dimension of forests, i.e. questions of governance and the economic importance of forests for people, which are essential for assessing the condition of forests and for understanding how forests are managed. Based on more than 150 years of tradition, we are committed to a comprehensive understanding of sustainability and see ourselves as a dynamic research and teaching unit that is open to new developments and places interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and teaching at the center of its activities. On the following pages you will learn more about our history and our mission statement, the organizational structures and committees of our faculty, as well as the fields of activity and offers of the individual departments.