Кафедра лісового господарства та раціонального природокористування

2001 – 2010 – Department of Rational Nature Management, headed by Professor Lyudmyla Bilyk.

2010 – 2021 – Department of General Ecology, Pedagogy, and Psychology. Until 2015, the department was led by Dr. of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor L.I. Bilyk, and from 2015, by Ph.D. in Biology, Associate Professor Ingrida Chemerys.

In 2018, the specialty 205 “Forestry” was accredited, and in 2019, the first cohort of students was admitted to the educational and professional bachelor’s program “Forestry”.

In 2021, the department was renamed the Department of Forestry and Rational Nature Management, headed by Ph.D. in Biology, Associate Professor Ingrida Chemerys.

Since 2023, the department has been offering training in the specialty 203 “Horticulture, Vegetable Growing, and Viticulture”.

Department Activities

The department’s academic and pedagogical staff are dedicated to implementing innovative methods, modern tools, and teaching technologies, fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect and student-centered learning. A distinctive feature of the “Forestry” program, developed in close collaboration with employers, is the combination of theoretical and practical training, incorporating elements of dual education. This approach is based on partnerships with regional forestry enterprises, where students receive hands-on experience using the material and technical resources of these organizations (in accordance with a student internship agreement with the state enterprise “Ukrainian Forests”). This model integrates theory, practice, and scientific research, encouraging the implementation of scientific advancements in the educational process and facilitating students’ career development.

Close cooperation with a number of forestry enterprises ensures an optimal learning environment, blending theoretical and practical components, as formalized in relevant agreements. The department ensures high-quality training through a professional-practical orientation, student-centered focus, academic integrity, employer involvement, and the development of soft skills. The department is also actively engaged in research. Over its existence, faculty members have published more than 800 scientific articles in Scopus and Web of Science, as well as in other specialized journals and at international and national conferences.

Students are actively involved in research activities. Together with faculty, approximately 50 scientific articles have been co-authored by students. Under faculty supervision, students have repeatedly won awards in research competitions, earning first, second, and third-place diplomas. The key research areas of the department include:

• The impact of environmental factors on the quality of timber from industrial forest species in Ukraine, forest roads and their non-fracture importance in forestry production, the application and accuracy of modern GIS systems in forest management, and wood round timber qualimetry – Professor Ivan Sopushynsky.
• Monitoring forest conditions and productivity, studying the carbon cycle in forests, assessing forests’ absorption of greenhouse gases, investigating forest vulnerability in the context of climate change, developing forest sector strategies in response to climate changes, and sustainable forest management issues – Professor Volodymyr Pasternak.
• Monitoring environmental conditions through bioindication methods, analyzing the current state of forest stands under the influence of technogenic and global climate changes – Associate Professor Ingrida Chemerys.
• Phytocenotic studies of pine forests on the Prytyasmyn sands in the Cherkasy region – Associate Professor Svitlana Klyuchka.
• Research on the hydrological and protective functions of forests in the Carpathian region, forest monitoring, and recreational forest management – Associate Professor Oksana Tkachuk.
• Study of wild and cultivated dendroflora, comprehensive utilization of non-timber forest resources in Ukraine – Associate Professor Vasyl Zayachuk.
• Research on plant life in natural and artificial phytocenoses, their cultivation, diversity of forms, landscape architecture, and design – Associate Professor Natalia Horbenko.
• Development of methods to foster ecological responsibility in students during the educational process at the university – Professor Lyudmyla Bilyk.
• Psychological aspects of teaching and administrative work, psychotherapeutic methods of psychological assistance – Associate Professor Natalia Starovoitenko.
• Ecologization of forestry activities – Lecturer Viktor Sych.

The main enterprise for practical training is the “Cherkasy Forestry” branch of the state enterprise “Ukrainian Forests”. Under cooperation agreements, students also gain practical experience across Ukraine, familiarizing themselves with various aspects of forestry, including visits to such sites as the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden, Boyarka Forest Research Station, National Natural Parks “Kholodnyi Yar”, “Skole Beskids”, “Tsuman Pushcha”, “Shatsky Lakes”, Kaniv Nature Reserve, Roztochia Nature Reserve, and the National Forestry University.

Students have the opportunity to complete internships across Ukraine, thanks to the Memorandum of Cooperation with the state enterprise “Ukrainian Forests.” The department also actively collaborates with the “Cherkasy Regional Center for Work with Gifted Children.” Faculty and students conduct training sessions and workshops for school forestry supervisors, serve as judges in school forestry competitions, and participate in other ecological events, including acting as jury members for the second stage of the All-Ukrainian competition of research papers for students from the National Center “Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine”. Ivan Sopushynsky, Ingrida Chemerys, and Svitlana Klyuchka serve as experts in accrediting educational programs for the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance.

The department maintains active international collaborations, establishing close ties with forestry enterprises in Poland and Slovakia. Through an agreement with the Kaunas University of Applied Sciences for Forestry and Environmental Management (Lithuania), students can familiarize themselves with European educational practices in forestry.