The course provides students with advanced education on professional and research issues in the field of Forest and Environmental Sciences, which aims to enable them to address and manage complex problems of planning, management and conservation of forest and rural ecosystems, land preservation, soil defence and conservation, organization of the production chain and technological upgrading of wood products.
The course is based on highly topical professional issues and benefits from the experience gained in many years of research work carried out by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry (former Faculty of Agriculture) and the Polytechnic School in Sicily but also at national and international level. Therefore the teachings pour the practical experiences of continuous and up-to-date research of the Course teachers work, and the course provides also field and laboratory activities.
Graduates of this Course consolidate the basic knowledge acquired in previous level by acquiring a specialized, cultural and professional profile oriented towards land management, monitoring and protection of forestry and environmental resources, land use planning, soil conservation and land conservation, the prevention of forest fires, the management of agro-sylvo-pastoral companies, the use and enhancement of agro-forestry products.
The specific objectives relate to the acquisition of skills related to geographic information systems for land analysis and spatial planning, the planning of protected areas, fire planning, preparation of forest inventories, the impact assessment and the SEA, the environmental assessments. The aim is to provide graduates with the tools to address complex situations related to forest and rural land management, as required by the society and by the current EU orientations.
More specifically, graduates, relying on the acquired technical knowledge will be able to organize a campaign of dendro-auxometric and site surveys for the preparation of complex projects, in order to thoroughly assess the evolution of stands and other components of the territory and landscape and will be able to apply the forestry in articulated forest stands. They will be able to identify the wood, to evaluate the physical-mechanical performance and durability of the woody material in addition to being able to recognize the main defects of the wood.
They will also acquire the specific knowledge and tools needed to analyse more thoroughly the hydrological and erosive risk situations, identifying effective and sustainable solutions through the design and construction management in complex environments.
In the field of procurement and management of water resources in the rural area, Graduates will develop expertise on preserving the quality and quantity of water supplies. Graduates will acquire extensive knowledge in the field of applied ecology and of the techniques for surveying the qualitative and quantitative characters of forest stands, the most recent methodologies relating to the design of complex systems, the realization and management of interventions in forest and mountain environments. As part of pedological technique the course provides insights on the evaluation of soils quality and features. Graduates will have the ability to understand the role of microorganisms in the biotic balance of nature with particular reference to the microbial ecology of the environment and forest ecosystems. A further specific objective is to create a competent figure in the organization and management of agro-sylvo-pastoral enterprises, with particular reference to the efficient use of material resources and intangible assets of the company, capable of enhancing production through the adoption of voluntary and mandatory product and process certifications, which are in line with European Union guidelines for rural development policies and environmental ones. In summary, graduates will be able to manage the main agro-rural and mountain ecosystems, in order to ensure their rational use with objectives related to production, environment, landscape and fruition.
The Course is divided into two curricula: Management of Forest Systems and Protection and Enhancement of rural territory. Teaching is conducted through lectures, laboratory and field exercises, specialized seminars and progress tests. The expected time for graduation is 2 academic years. To achieve the degree, students must obtain 120 university credits (CFU), including those relating to the thorough knowledge of one European Union language, besides Italian, subject to the special rules for the protection of linguistic minorities.
The teaching program consists of 11 required exams, elective activities (12 credits are acquired in accordance with article 10, paragraph 5, point a, of Ministerial Decree 270/04) also freely chosen among the subjects provided by other degree courses of the University of Palermo, or other Italian and foreign universities. The Educational programme provides further training activities to acquire advanced language knowledge (7 CFU), as well as highly professional skills directly related to the labour market. The training course is completed with the practical/applicative internship at accredited facilities, and the final examination on specific issues.
At the end of the course, students will be awarded the title of “Dottore Magistrale in "Scienze e Tecnologie Forestali e Agro-Ambientali" and, after passing the national professional qualification they may enrol in Section A of the dell ' professional register of the “Albo professionale dell'Ordine dei Dottori Agronomi e Forestali”.
Making judgments:
Graduates have consolidated their critical skills so as to analyse the elements and interactions of complex territorial entities. In the professional activity they are therefore able to assess the implications and results of operations they design and makes operate in forestry and in the territory. They are also able to assess the consequences and repercussions of their work collaborating in activities of strategic environmental and impact assessments.
The expected learning outcomes are achieved by developing the student's ability to compare different solutions of the problem being treated, also drafting specific papers.
The verification of the learning outcomes is carried out by testing, in-course tests or in the final examination, the critical skills of the student and his/her ability to predict the effects of the choices.
Communication skills:
The interest placed on environmental issues and the amplitude of the repercussions require the graduates’ ability to expose, defend and mediate with various professionals and with the public their theories and the assessments of interventions designed in their complexity, using the specific vocabulary, and exposing clearly and precisely what they mean to the broader public. In particular they will be able to support the importance of a correct approach to environmental issues and to highlight the wider impact of the proposed and executed works and of their sustainability on the social context. The communication skills they reach allow them to participate successfully in the environmental assessment process as part of plans and projects at various levels.
The expected learning outcomes are achieved through the students’ ability to use the tool of the presentation in oral or written form of the knowledge they have acquired, during examinations.
The expected learning outcomes are assessed evaluating the ability to present the issues they deal with, through the use of the specific language, but understandable by a non-competent public
Learning skills:
As part of the specific forestry and land subjects, graduates of this course will be able to maintain up-to-date technical and scientific knowledge, identifying and analysing the whole research in the field. The acquired competences enable them to follow second-level master courses, advanced courses as well as scientific and professional seminars transferring the acquired knowledge in their specific activities area.
The course projects its graduates in the broader context of ongoing research, providing the tools for independent analysis and assessment of the significance of the research work they may consult, receiving a continuous professional enrichment.
The expected learning outcomes are achieved by maintaining the logic succession, as well as any prerequisites, that shall be provided by the academic regulations of the course, of the subjects be featured in the degree program with the aim of developing the ability to understand the aspects of application as well as of utilization of research results.
The assessment, carried out during examinations, aims at testing the students’ ability to use the acquired knowledge to solve new problems, to recognize the need for further information, to use the results of specific research.