Field-Based Training for Students Organized in Collaboration Between Artvin Çoruh University Faculty of Forestry and Artvin Regional Directorate of Forestry

A practical field training was organized in collaboration between the Artvin Çoruh University Faculty of Forestry and the Artvin Regional Directorate of Forestry for 2nd and 3rd-year students of the Forest Engineering Department and 1st-year students of the Forest Industrial Engineering Department. The training was conducted within the scope of the courses Forest Entomology, Basic Principles of Forest Management, Forestry Knowledge, Forest Yield Science, and Geographic Information Systems at field sites under the Meşeli and Sahara Forest Management Units of the Şavşat Forest Enterprise Directorate.

In the opening speech of the event, Dean of the Faculty of Forestry Prof. Dr. Mehmet Yavuz emphasized the crucial role of such hands-on training in enhancing students’ professional competencies and in transferring theoretical knowledge into field practice. He also expressed his gratitude to the Artvin Regional Directorate of Forestry for their strong support and collaboration.

Artvin Regional Director of Forestry İbrahim Ethem Gürsoy, in his opening remarks, highlighted the importance of students observing forestry practices on-site and directly engaging with field experts. He stated, “Esteemed faculty members, dear colleagues, and future professionals; this program has been organized to allow you to see how forestry operations are conducted in the field, to receive first-hand insights from field personnel, and to understand the technical processes of various departments. We thank you all for your participation.”

The program was attended by Prof. Dr. Mehmet Yavuz (Dean), İbrahim Ethem Gürsoy (Regional Director of Forestry), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Funda Erşen Bak (Vice Dean), several faculty members (Prof. Dr. Aydın Tüfekçioğlu, Prof. Dr. Sinan Güner, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aydın Kahrıman, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Tüfekçioğlu, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Küçük, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdurrahman Şahin, Dr. Ali Karaman, Dr. Mustafa Acar, Dr. Neslihan Atar, Res. Asst. Oğuzhan Bilgili, Res. Asst. Serkan Yılmaz), as well as technical staff and branch chiefs from the Regional Directorate (Fuat Bilgin, Turgay Vatan, Kemal Çetiner, Cihangir Dedeağaoğlu, and Kubilay Tan).

Throughout the event, university faculty members delivered academic and technical presentations, while branch chiefs from the Regional Directorate introduced field applications and technical practices relevant to their areas of expertise. As a result, students were able to reinforce their classroom knowledge in real-world settings and gain insights into various aspects of the forestry profession.

We extend our sincere thanks to all faculty members, personnel from the Artvin Regional Directorate of Forestry, and staff from the Artvin Provincial Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks for their valuable contributions to this comprehensive technical field training.