A total of 303 forestry students participated in the Faculty of Forestry’s outdoor education program in Wanagama Forest. The opening ceremony took place online on Monday (5/7).
Unlike previous years, the 2021 program will be held online and offline to adjust to the current pandemic. Participants will conduct online learning from 5-23 July and practical activities, including forest surveys, mapping, and so on, later once all of them are vaccinated and COVID-19 cases in Indonesia decline.
UGM Faculty of Forestry has carried out this outdoor learning for years. This program enables forestry students to experience firsthand the forestry industry. Throughout this one-year program, students will participate in academic and non-academic activities in Wanagama Forest, a 622-hectare educational forest in Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta. Apart from agroforestry classes, students will also get the opportunity to learn global competence from alumni, carry out field practices, and develop their soft skills and attributes as foresters (forestry experts and any forest enthusiasts).
“For some outdoor activities like camping and practicum, we will wait until the situation gets better. Hence postponement may last for quite some time,” explained Budiadi, Dean of the Faculty of Forestry.
He added that the 2019 and 2020 cohorts would deal with various major challenges in non-academic issues. For example, they must find ways to build solidarity during mostly online interactions, demonstrate creativity and agility, improve leadership skills, and even understand basic survival skills.
“Forestry covers a wide range of areas ranging from cultivation, policies, institutional matters to social, economic, and ecological issues. These all are beyond academic activities. Hopefully, this outdoor program will develop aspiring foresters of excellent quality,” said Budiadi.
