History

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT

The Department of Forestry, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria was established in 1963 with assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The stated aim of the Department was to provide professional personnel qualified in forestry and allied land management. The plan of operation of the Department was signed by the Federal Government and FAO on the 20th of March, 1963 and the Department commenced work on the 4th April, 1963.

As the Forestry Department developed, the philosophy of an integrated approach to the management of renewable natural resources came to be adopted and the Department widened its curricula to include six specializations, namely; Forest Biometrics and Remote Sensing; Forest Biology and Silviculture; Forest Economics and Management; Wood Science; Fisheries Management, Wildlife and Range Management. In 1974, the Department changed her name from the rather restrictive ‘Forestry’ to the broad heading of ‘Forest Resources Management’ under which all forms of renewable natural resources may be considered. By August 1981, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Management emerged as a full-fledged Department from the Department of Forest Resources Management.

In 2010, the University of Ibadan Senate approved the splitting of the Department of Forest Resources Management into (i) Departments of Forest Production and Products and (ii) Social and Environmental Forestry. This was done in anticipation of the proposed Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources. Hence, a proposal requesting the splitting of Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry into the Faculties of Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources was submitted by Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry to Academic Planning Unit, University of Ibadan in that year. The proposal was approved by the senate of the University of Ibadan and then a submission was made to the National Universities Commission (NUC), Abuja.

The proposal was eventually approved by the NUC on the 27th of July 2016. Hence the new Departments of Social and Environmental Forestry & Forest Production and Products as well as the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources were inaugurated on the 1st of August 2017.

VISION, MISSION AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE DEPARTMENT

Vision

To build a Department that will be a centre of excellence for training and research in forest science and environmental management in Nigeria and sub Saharan Africa. 

Mission Statement

1. To produce competent graduates of forest science who are able to cope in a competitive world
2. To assist in wealth creation, through judicious use of forest produce and allied natural resources
3. To continue to engage the changing world in activities geared towards sustainable forest production and utilisation
4. To serve as bridge for forestry stakeholders through robust advocacy for broad based management of forests as well as forest products utilisation

Philosophy of the Programme

The global population continues to seek environmentally friendly solutions to issues pertaining to forest resources utilisation, with a special focus on sustainability of the renewable natural resources found in forests. The Department of Forest Production and Products has evolved from the sustained yield concept to a broader scope that focuses on sustainable management of both tangible and intangible forest products. To this end, the Department has developed an underlying philosophy which prepares world-class graduates for the challenges that face the environment and human dependence on it. The aim is to bridge the gap for trained capacity in the field of forest production and its utilisation while creating pragmatic and sustained solutions to the problems encountered in food, fuel and fibre production; deforestation and forest degradation; loss of tree genetic diversity, forest and climate change; poor data management and conservation. The proposed curriculum focuses on sustainable forest resources management, maintenance of ecological integrity and integrated approaches to forest resources utilisation, with the aim of producing versatile graduates with sound knowledge and entrepreneurial skills in resource utilisation without exceeding the carrying capacity of the environment.