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The Forest Naturalness Educational Experience Days Series Concludes Successfully
In the spring of 2026, Pro Silva Hungaria, with the support of the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture, organized three large-scale event days dedicated to introducing the concepts of forest naturalness and close-to-nature forestry to teachers and students. The aim of the Forest Naturalness Educational Experience Days was to make these topics—previously discussed mainly within professional circles—accessible, engaging, and understandable for young people and educators.
The first event took place on 15 April 2026 at the Mecsek Discovery Center. The programme was hosted by the Mókus Suli Forest School of Mecsekerdö Ltd., the Mecsek Discovery Center, and the Mecsextrém Park. The event was officially opened by György Keresztes, President of Pro Silva Hungaria, and István Ripszám, CEO of Mecsekerdö Ltd. The teacher training programme was attended by 42 educators, while 259 primary and secondary school students participated in the forest education activities. Participants explored topics such as continuous-cover forestry, biodiversity, the ecological role of deadwood, native and non-native species, and the relationship between hunting and forest naturalness.
The second and third event days were held on 3–4 June 2026 at the Budakeszi Wildlife Park and the Forestry Information Centre of Pilis Park Forestry Company. A total of 92 teachers registered for the professional training programme.
The event was opened by Dr. Péter Csépányi, Vice President of Pro Silva Hungaria, and Gábor Reinitz, CEO of Pilis Park Forestry Company. During the training sessions, leading Hungarian experts—including Dr. Dénes Bartha, Dr. Tibor Standovár, Dr. Péter Ódor, and Dr. György Csóka—presented the most important aspects of forest naturalness, forest history, biodiversity, and ecological processes.
The educational programmes for students involved 23 school classes over the two days. Activities were conducted simultaneously at seven and nine stations respectively, covering topics such as biodiversity, deadwood and forest insects, forest ecosystems, the role of large herbivores and predators, native and non-native species, continuous-cover forestry, forest history, and the Trees of the Year programme.
Across all three event days, the programme reached more than 750 students and over 130 teachers. The series represented an important milestone for Pro Silva Hungaria, as it marked a deliberate step beyond the organisation’s traditional professional audience. The events demonstrated that the concepts of forest naturalness and close-to-nature forestry can attract significant interest not only among forestry professionals, but also among educators, young people, and the wider public.
Pro Silva Hungaria would like to express its sincere gratitude to all partner organisations, speakers, activity leaders, volunteers, and participants who contributed to the success of the programme. We hope that the experiences and knowledge gained during these events will help promote a broader understanding and appreciation of forest naturalness and close-to-nature forestry in the years to come.
Text: Margit Dénes, 09.6.2026
Fotogallery - Linda Surány (2026)
At the beginning of June, a Guide describing the methodology for the introduction of continuous cover forestry and the preparation of their management plan was published on the website of the Forestry Department of the National Land Centre. The contents of the Guide are well supplemented and supported by the 2019 publication of the Pro Silva Switzerland (Hatt., S.: “Checkkarten Dauerwald”). The Hungarian version of which is published almost simultaneously with the French and English editions based on the original German text.
The Hungarian partner organization, Pro Silva Hungaria, publishes a 35-page, colourful, well-illustrated, A6-sized booklet, suitable for field use, in Hungarian, entitled “Characteristics of the continuous cover forest”. The booklet will soon be available at the Pro Silva Hungaria Association and by mail order on the website of the Hungarian Forestry Association. The brochure, which is also suitable for field use and contains calculation examples, provides the reader with knowledge based on the proven results of more than 100 years of Swiss continuous cover forest management practice.
With the Guide and the new booklet, significant professional support will be provided to forest managers, forest owners, forest engineers and forest technicians who want to manage successfully in this sylvicultural regime.
Decree designating the framework for continuous cover forestry ("Dauerwaldwirtschaft") sylvicultural regime has been issued by the ministry in recent days.
As these provisions can be divided into two groups - professional and procedural rules, they appeared as amendments to two previous regulations.
In its press release, the Ministry of Agriculture emphasized that in the fight against climate change, in addition to afforestation, the preservation and quality maintenance of existing forest areas is a key aspect. One of the most important tools for this is the expansion of continuous cover forest management.
This was necessary because the regulatory framework for this sylvicutural regime had not been established in Hungary before.
Pro Silva Hungaria is going to translate the publication of “Checkkarten Dauerwald”, from Pro Silva Switzerland, and also the Booklet "Pro Silva Silviculture" from Pro Silva Wallonia in Hungarian Language !
(Peter Csépányi, 9.4.2020)