On 27th April, 2018 in the seat of the Department of Natural Forests of the Forest Research Institute in Białowieża there was a meeting with the youth of the first class from the Ziemia Kujawska Secondary School in Włocławek. The meeting was conducted by Rafał Paluch, Assoc. Prof., the departament manager. 

During the meeting a wide range of scientific activities of the Department of Natural Forests was presented, including those carrying out on such a unique environmental area as the Białowieża Forest. All the students were also familiarized with main goals and activities carried out in the framework of the LIFE+ ForBioSensing project PL ”Comprehensive monitoring of stand dynamics in Białowieża Forest with remote sensing techniques”. The scope of work, including traditional measurements on monitoring plots in combination with airborne scanner laser data, was presented. The students were very interested in such possibilities of different methods combined for forest monitoring.

As an example, there were presented some results of flight mission from a particular year, which gave the opportunity to observe bark beetle gradation in the Białowieża Forest.

The youth was also interested in some voluntary work in the Department of Natural Forests, especially to have a chance to get to know the newest research methods, be familiarized with the use of modern research equipment and to experience unforgettable adventure in the Białowieża Forest.

Author & Photo: Dorota Raczkowska-Paluch