The Department of Forestry, Wood Sciences and Design of the University of Thessaly participates in a series of extroversion and internationalization actions aimed at highlighting the educational and research achievements of students and students as well as its educational and research staff. The continuous involvement in issues, management and exploitation of the productive elements of the natural environment leads to the communication of the various achievements of the staff of the Department to the general public with a series of extroversion actions. The members of the Department believe that the communication of these actions creates the conditions for public awareness on the critical issues of sustainable safeguarding and exploitation of the unique natural resources of our country. The actions developed or planned to be developed are:

Α.  Actions that had been conducted:

1. International Meeting in the framework of the TranSuMan (Erasmus+) project in Karditsa (1-2 December 2022)

On Thursday and Friday 1-2 December 2022, an international meeting (Transnational project Meeting) and a training workshop (Hands-on training Workshop) took place at the premises of the Department of Forestry, Wood Sciences and design (Dexys) of the University of Thessaly in Karditsa, within the framework of the project “Advanced TRAiNing on SUstainable MANagement of pastoral systems – TranSuMan” (Erasmus+ Programme, Agreement Number: 2021-1-IT02-ka220-Hed-000032227) (https://www.ucv.es/investigacion/transhuman/grasslands-management).

The meeting was attended by academics from the Universities of Camerino (Italy), Babes Bolyai (Romania) and Fundacion Universidad Catolica de Valencia San Vicente Martir (Spain).

The purpose of the meeting, in addition to examining the administrative course of the project, was the organization of scientific lectures on education and evaluation of guidelines in the methodology of participatory grassland management (Teaching and evaluation of the “Methodological guidelines on participatory grassland management”) as well as the presentation of educational tools for sustainable grassland management Teaching Toolkit (draft).

The lectures were addressed to undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Dexys Department who form the Green Team and who were pre-selected at the start of the project (June 2022). The Green Team also includes people with interests in grassland management (stakeholders).

The co-existence of the three stakeholders (students, academics, stakeholders), the teaching and the management tools demonstrated, are expected to work in favour of students, in order to build a comprehensive understanding of the professional approach to the Meadows of the European Union.

Members of the Greek Green Team (Green Team) and academics from 4 countries at the premises of the Department of Forestry, Wood Sciences and design (photo Michalis Vrachnakis)

2. Participation of professors of the Department in a seminar and experiential workshop in the field of the Education Center for the environment and Sustainability of Mouzaki, Karditsa (3-4 March 2023)

The Department of Forestry, Wood Sciences & design participated in a two-day seminar on March 3-4, 2023, on “rivers Education”. The seminar is co-organized by the C. E.PE.P. Mouzaki with the Greek network of municipalities with rivers and concerns teachers, who are members of the local thematic network of environmental education “our rivers in the foreground”. In the framework of the seminar, on Friday, March 3, a relevant online meeting was held, where the teacher of the Department, assistant professor Dimitrios Samaras developed the topic “riparian vegetation”. The following Saturday, March 4, a team of the department consisting of the professors, Dimitrios Samaras, Michalis Vrachnakis and Ioannis Kazoglou participated in an experiential workshop on a tributary of Pamisos, in the place Agioi Apostoloi of Ithomi Castle, Karditsa. Trainees of the workshop were teachers of N. Karditsa. During the workshop participants were shown the methodology of analysis of riparian vegetation based on specific protocols and discussions were held on issues of organizing lessons to elementary school students on riparian vegetation.

Experiential workshop in the place Agioi Apostoloi of Ithomi Castle, Karditsa (photo Michalis Vrachnakis)

Β. Actions that are being planned

3. Participation in a joint Intensive Course in Camerino, Italy, in the framework of the TranSuMan project (Erasmus+) (8-12 May 2023)

In the period 8-12 May 2023, the International Joint intensive course will be held at the premises of the University of Camerino (Italy) under the project “Advanced TRAiNing on SUstainable MANagement of pastoral systems – TranSuMan” (Erasmus+ Programme, Agreement Number: 2021-1-IT02-KA220-HED-000032227) (https://www.ucv.es/investigacion/transhuman/grasslands-management).at the same time, the administrative course of the project (Transnational project Meeting – TPM) will be examined.

The seminar will be attended by academics from the Department of Forestry, Wood Sciences and design of the University of Thessaly, as well as from the Universities of Camerino (Italy), Babes Bolyai (Romania) and Fundacion Universidad Catolica de Valencia San Vicente Martir (Spain). In addition to the academics, there will be 8 students from each country who form the Green Team of each country and who were pre-selected at the start of the project (June 2022).

The seminar will include scientific lectures on the guidelines in the methodology of grassland participatory management (Teaching and evaluation of the “Methodological guidelines on participatory grassland management”), which have already been developed by the academics of the program. In addition, a series of educational tools for sustainable grassland management Teaching Toolkit will be presented. These tools will be applied in a specific case study that will be developed in meadows of the Camerino area, where green groups students, under the supervision of academics and other stakeholders (stakeholders) will have the opportunity to apply them in practice, gaining in this experiential way valuable professional experience in the sustainable management of Meadows. This coexistence of the three parties (students, academics, stakeholders), teaching and the management tools that will be demonstrated, are expected to work in the students ‘ favor, in order to construct a comprehensive understanding of the professional approach to the Meadows of the European Union.

Grazing of horses and cattle in the area of Prespa (photo Michalis Vrachnakis)

4. Participation in a Blended Intensive Course in Krakow, Poland, in the framework of the Erasmus + project (14-20 May 2023)

In the period 14-20 May 2023, an international Blended Intensive course (Bip) on climate – Smart Forestry will be held at the premises of the University of Agriculture in Krakow, Poland. The seminar will be attended by University representatives (academics, students and students) from 7 European countries (Greece, Poland, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Spain). Climate-smart forestry means the sustainable adaptive management of forests and woodlands that protects and enhances their potential in such a way that it can adapt to, and furthermore mitigate, climate change. The main objective is to maintain the integrity and functions of forest ecosystems and to ensure the continuous provision of ecosystem goods and services, while minimizing the impacts of climate change. In short, climate-smart forestry should enable forest ecosystems and societies to adapt to mitigate the effects of climate change. About BIP and its goals you can get information from

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Psg-4KzqvWsAAiH4b3xxPTi6lekZDHDv/view

The Department of Forestry, Wood Sciences and design of the University of Thessaly participates in the program of climate-smart forestry. Specifically, 4 students of the Department will attend the seminar in person, while the professors of the Department, Mr. Michalis Vrachnakis and Dimitrios Koutsianitis will take part in the lectures.