Chair of Forest Protection
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHAIR
The work on the issues of forest protection actually started with the establishment of the Faculty of Forestry in 1920 (initially a Department within the Faculty of Agriculture). However, only after 5th February 1949, when the Government of the Republic of Serbia adopted a decree on the establishment of an individual Faculty of Forestry in Belgrade, it also established the current Chair of Forest Protection. During its development the Chair has changed its name several times. At first, it was called the Chair of Forest Protection, and the Chair of Forest and Wood Protection (with 2 institutes: The Institute of Entomology and Forest Protection and the Institute of Phytopathology and Wood Protection), then the Chair of Forest, Wood and Ornamental Plants Protection, and finally the Chair of Forest Protection, which is also its current name. The first Head of the Chair of Forest Protection was the academician Dr. Svetislav Živojinović, whose contribution to the development of the Chair is immeasurable. Before the Second World War, forest protection was not organized in a satisfactory manner. Recognizing this lack of organization, immediately after World War II, the professors started solving serious problems related to forest protection. The teachers of the Chair of forest protection (Prof. Dr. S. Živojinović, Prof. Dr. Mihailo Krstić, Prof. Dr. Konstantin Vasić, with the help of Prof. Dr. Mladen Josifović [prof. of the Faculty of Agriculture]) already at the start realized that it is necessary to educate reliable and specialized professional staff in order to have a successful forest protection service as well as for all other forestry operations required. In addition to that, they started with more serious work on the scientific issues of forest protection. Under the direct supervision of professors of the Chair of Forest Protection started a massive campaign in Serbia with the aim of combating gypsy moths, bark beetles, chestnut cancer, Dutch elm disease, pests and diseases in nurseries and conifer plantations, fire protection and so on. In order to perform these tasks, it was necessary to equip the practice with appropriate literature.
At this point we should emphasize the special activity of textbook writing in the field of forest protection. In 1948, the first textbook was printed: Forest Entomology (by prof. Dr. Svetislav Živojinović); In 1951 the textbook Forest Phytopathology (by prof. Dr. Mladen Josifović); In 1957 the textbook Forest protection (by prof. Dr. Svetislav Živojinović). The publication of the first textbooks represented a significant success of forest protection in Serbia. In relation to the scientific activity at the Chair, it should be emphasized that in the beginning it started with the field of forest entomology and forest phytopathology, while problems of general forest protection were subject to rather poor scientific study. However, in recent years this trend changed with the arrival of new staff to the Chair. Scientific work at the Chair of Forest Protection can be judged by the fact that since its establishment until now a total of 38 doctoral theses, 49 master of science theses and 17 master’s degree theses have been defended at this Chair.
An immeasurable contribution to the development of the Chair of Forest Protection was given by its late professors:
- Academician prof. Dr. Svetislav Živojinović (1907-1966),
- prof. Dr. Konstantin Vasić (1915-1990),
- prof. Dr. Mihailo Krstić (1913-1972),
- prof. Dr. Pribislav Marinković (1925-2007),
- prof. Dr. Nenad Petrović (1921-1973),
- prof. Dr. Mihailo Petrović (1928-1998),
- prof. Dr. Milomir Vasić (1929-2007),
- prof. Dr. Dragutin Živojinović (1930-1990),
- prof. Dr. Tanja Milijašević (1954-2010).