Executive Director for the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO), believes long-standing forest perceptions and career opportunities in the sector are the primary reasons young people do not want to venture into forestry.

Alexander Buck says foresters need to communicate more effectively and efficiently about the sector and the opportunities to attract youth.

For Mr Bucks, inadequate forestry and trees education at the basic and secondary levels is the main cause. 
He also refers to the lack of adequate knowledge on the part of teachers at these levels and lack of exposure as contributory factors.

"Insufficient knowledge, oftentimes, on the side of the teachers, who just don't know very much about forest and trees," he said.

Giving an example of how students in Finland, where each school has a piece of forest assigned to learn as a great way to start.

"The level of education starts with the younger ones."

Mr Buck also believes insufficient inclusion of traditional knowledge in forest education also explains the lack of interest and improved management of forest and trees.

According to him, the university curriculum was developed using limited set knowledge.

"The local knowledge that is important to manage the trees well, in a given local context, has insufficiently been included into the formal education system," he added.

In his view, traditional knowledge must be much more effectively integrated into forest education systems.
Experts say forest education is critical to sustainable forest management.

According to them, forest education is inadequate, obsolete and deteriorating in many places.

But with well-trained forest managers and policymakers, it will be possible to maximize the contributions of forests and trees to sustainable development.

That's why Mr Buck insists the future of forests depends on attracting talented students to forest programmes and equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed.

The Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Tropical Timber Organization and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations were the lead partners in a project entitled “Creation of a Global Forest Education Platform and Launch of a Joint Initiative under the Aegis of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests”.

The project was financed by the Germany Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and operational between November 2019 and June 2021.

The goal of the project was to catalyze, accelerate and enhance broad efforts in forest education at national and local levels in developing countries.

It was also to counteract the considerable deficiencies in forest education in many parts of the world.

The project was designed to prepare the foundation for a longer-term effort in forest education, envisaged as a Joint Initiative of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests.