Forest pedagogy workshop

A trip to forest schools in Hungary – Gallery

At the end of April, almost three dozen employees of the LESY SR company, especially forest teachers, took part in an excursion to Hungarian forest schools with practical demonstrations of activities with children. During their two-day stay, they visited three accredited forestry schools:

  • Mattress accommodation of Pála Domszke „Domszky Pál Matracszállás“,
  • Forest Forest Museum in Kemence, Nírješská Botanická zahrada and Zveropark,
  • Katalinpuszta Visitor Center and Forest School.

Our colleagues sought inspiration for the use of the ideas of Hungarian foresters in the conditions of LESY SR, a state enterprise, thanks to the project “Foresters to increase the environmental awareness of the public”. It is implemented within the INTEEREG V-A Slovak Republic-Hungary Cooperation Program by the organizations FORESTS OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC, STATE ENTERPRISE, AND IPOLY ERDÓ Zrt. We brought information about this project in the March issue of Lesník.

“We went to see the prepared program for children at the Museum of Forest Railway in Kemence, with a group of children we went on a forest railway trip, a tourist trip, during which Hungarian colleagues explained to children the importance of tourist signs and continuously explained the importance of forest management, management conditions. in the protected area of ​​the Borzsöny Mountains, etc. Later in the evening, Lajos Puskás (Chairman of the Department for Forestry Schools of the National Forestry Society) introduced us to the state of the Hungarian Forestry Schools, their past, present and future perspectives, ”summarized Nikoleta Nozdrovická from the EU Projects Department.

Our colleagues were able to see for themselves that Hungarian foresters moved a little further than the Slovaks in working with the public, especially in their material security, the next day in Katalinpuszta, where Rita Kemenes introduced them to the Visitor Center and Forestry School in Katalinpuszta. their programs, activities, activities or thematic days.

And what was the benefit of this journey according to Nozdrovická? “Especially the exchange of experiences, inspiration from the Hungarian side, as they have publicly beneficial activities more developed than we are,” she added.

According to Martina Kovalčíková from OZ Beňuš, the icing on the cake of this road was the Nyírješ Botanical Garden and zoo with an area of ​​22 ha, with almost 600 species of plants from three continents (Europe, Asia and North America). In this 15-hectare facility, in addition to domestic ratites, exotic animals such as the brown emu, the alpaca llama, the red-necked kenuragura and the red-nosed kennel are kept.

“Overall, I can say that the work with the public in our southern neighbors is carried out at a high level. They have invested considerable funds either in the reconstruction of old buildings (hunting lodges, farm buildings, quarters) or by building new centers. They were significantly helped in this by the Hungarian government, which, by announcing the “Blue Ribbon Hungary” program, motivated the public to get to know the country (on foot, by water, on horseback, by bike), while every effort is to provide tourists with the opportunity accommodation. ”

We want us to get at least a little closer to this state. Our company took its first step by building a forest school building at OZ Levice.