Fieldwork for Forestry Students – Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Science (HSWT), Freising, Germany

The UNSA Faculty of Forestry has a very good cooperation with numerous related higher education institutions in Europe and the world, and one of the most developed is with Hochschule Weihenstephan-Triesdorf and has been going on for a number of years.

As in previous years, as part of the Erasmus + program, forestry students (third year) from this institution are coming to Bosnia and Herzegovina for a professional excursion-fieldwork, which took place in the period 05-10 September 2025.

The fieldwork was held in the area of ​​Igman - Ravna Vala rainforest and Sutjeska National Park - Zelengora Special Hunting Ground.

This time, we had the opportunity to fully provide the teaching by staying at the NGO "Čavle", and the guests were very happy to take part in preparing hunting specialties - bear goulash in this case.

In the practical part, students were presented with methods of habitat quality analysis for individual game species, specific relationships in the habitat-prey-predator chain, as well as predator-predator relationships. This was followed by the laying of transects for the purpose of counting game, as well as the assessment of the impact of herbivores (breasts) on the restoration of forest stands. On the following day of fieldwork, students were introduced to the skills of following tracks and identifying signs of the presence of large animals in the habitat.

On the following two days, classes were held in the area of ​​Sutjeska National Park and Zelengora Special Hunting Ground. With a previous presentation of the history of the creation of today's Sutjeska National Park, its characteristics and the most important game species in it, as well as the current state of the populations of large animals, chamois and grouse in this area. The lesson ended with a trip to Trnovačko jezero.