At the July 12th celebrate the Forest Engineer Day, a professional responsible for analyzing forest ecosystems and planning strategies for their sustainable use. This date was chosen because on July 12, 1073, Saint John Gualberto died, who was chosen by Pope Pius XII, in 1952, as the Protector of Forests.
The profession of Forestry Engineer, as mentioned above, guarantees the proper management of forest resources. According to Resolution No. 218, of June 29, 1973, of the Federal Council of Engineering, Architecture and Agronomy, the forestry engineer is responsible for the development of activities “relating to rural engineering; constructions for forest purposes and their complementary installations, silvimetry and forest inventory; forest improvement; renewable natural resources; ecology, climatology, forest health defense; forest products, their technology and their industrialization; edaphology; land and forest use processes; forest ordering and management; forest mechanization; forestry implements; economy and rural credit for forest purposes; its related and related services.”
The role of this professional is extremely important, since the country has a large area forestry and, therefore, it needs professionals capable of controlling the unbridled exploitation of its resources. To be a good professional, it is essential to have ethics and commitment to the preservation of nature.
In addition to respecting natural resources, the forest engineer needs to have knowledge about biological, exact and human sciences. The fundamental subjects for its formation are broad and, in general, involve forestry policy and legislation, soils and nutrition of plants, cartography and geoprocessing, forest ecosystems, management of renewable natural resources, forest protection, among many others.
The Forestry Engineering course is relatively recent. The first institution that trained professionals with the objective of working in the forestry area was created in 1960 by the then President of the Republic Juscelino Kubitschek and was called National School of Forests. Later, this institution, which was located in Viçosa, was transferred to the Federal University of Paraná.
According to the MEC (Ministry of Education), the Forest Engineering course is currently offered by 60 higher education institutions. In 2013 alone, around 1392 professionals graduated in our country, thus increasing the number of qualified professionals to work in protecting our forests.
By Ma. Vanessa dos Santos
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/datas-comemorativas/dia-engenheiro-florestal.htm