Vilis Brukas

Professor in Forest Planning

I am directing the MSc course "National and International Forest Policy ", 15 ECTS credits. The weeks full-time course is delivered by an international teacher team, examining forest governance and linkages between forest policy and management in different countries.

My interest in improving the practice of teaching and learning has been nurtured through various engagements, such as coordinating EUROFORESTER Master's programme; designing a new  programme  (FORPEC); delivering intensive courses on student-centred learning for university staff; and taking part in the SLU Education Board dealing with strategic development of education at our university; and initiating new international Bachelor's programme Forest & Landscape (started in September 2021).

Pedagogic awards:

- SLU pedagogic award for Euroforester teacher team, 2006

- SLU individual pedagogic award, 2015

My research spans various issues in forest policy, with focus on the countries of the Baltic Sea region. Approaches to forest governance differ widely within the region, constituting an exciting venue for comparative analyses. The topics of interest include but are not limited to:
- Mixes of policy instruments
- Interface between policy and planning
- Approaches to forest management accross Europe
- Forest governance in transition economies

The most important engagement in the latest years (since 2016) has been the scientific coordination of the EU Horizon 2020 project ALTERFOR "Alternative models and robust decision-making for future forest management". Involving 20 partners in 9 European countries, the project has conducted 10 case studies focusing on implementing novel approaches of forest management.

Part of my research pertain to environmental analysis, e.g. examining suitable indicators to compare forest policy and management in different countries

In various research and education projects, I had a pleasure to cooperate with important forestry organisations, including the Swedish Forest Agency, the forest owner cooperative Södra and Country Board Kronoberg.

I grew up in Lithuania that back then (before 1990) was part of the Soviet Union. Having earned my Master's degree in forestry in Lithuania (1997) and PhD degree in Denmark (2000), i had a fortune to be exposed to very different ways of governing and managing forests in countries with different historical backgrounds. This sparked my interest in forest policy as academic discipline.

I am currently main supervisor for two PhD projects:

- "Instrumentation of the Swedish forest policy with a focus on advisory services" by Keeli Curtis

- "Studying system innovations to promote fast growing broadleaves in Sweden" by Derek Garfield

And a postdoc project "Stakeholder Cooperation and Forest Advisory Services’ Role for Increased Broadleaves in Swedish Forests" by Luis Andrés Guillén Alm

Malmborg, K., Wallin, I., Brukas, V., Do, T., Lodin, I., Neset, T. S., ... & Tonderski, K. 2022. Knowledge co-production in the Helge å catchment: a comparative analysis. Ecosystems and People, 18(1), 565-582.

Edwards, P., Brukas, V., Brukas, A., Hoogstra-Klein, M., Secco, L., & Kleinschmit, D. 2022. Development of forest discourses across Europe: A longitudinal perspective. Forest Policy and Economics, 135, 102641.

Lodin, I. and Brukas, V., 2021. Ideal vs real forest management: Challenges in promoting production-oriented silvicultural ideals among small-scale forest owners in southern Sweden. Land Use Policy, 100, p.104931.

Makrickiene, E., Brukas, V., Brodrechtova, Y., Mozgeris, G., Sedmák, R., & Šálka, J. (2019). From command-and-control to good forest governance: A critical interpretive analysis of Lithuania and Slovakia. Forest Policy and Economics, 109, 102024.

Mozgeris, G., Kavaliauskas, M., Brukas, V. and Stanislovaitis, A., 2019. Assessment of timber supply under alternative contextual scenarios. Forest Policy and Economics, 103: 36-44.

Brukas, V., Stanislovaitis, A., Kavaliauskas, M., Gaizutis, A. 2018. Protecting or destructing? Local perceptions of environmental consideration in Lithuanian forestry. Land Use Policy: 1014-1023.

Hoogstra, M., Brukas, V., & Wallin, I. 2017. Multiple-use forestry as a boundary object: from a shared ideal to multiple realities. Land Use Policy 69: 247-258.

Hodge, D., Brukas, V., & Giurca, A. 2017. Forests in a bioeconomy: bridge, boundary or divide?. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 32(7) 582-587.

Lodin, I., Brukas, V., & Wallin, I. 2017. Spruce or not? Contextual and attitudinal drivers behind the choice of tree species in Southern Sweden. Forest Policy and Economics 83: 191-198.

Mozgeris,G., Brukas, V., Stanislovaitis, A., Kavaliauskas, M., Palicinas. 2017. Owner mapping for forest scenario modelling - a Lithuanian case study.  Forest Policy and Economics 85(2): 235-244.

Guillén, L.A., Wallin, I. & Brukas, V. 2015. Social capital in small-scale forestry: A local case study in Southern Sweden. Forest Policy and Economics 53: 21- 28. 

Brukas, V. 2015. New World, Old Ideas—A Narrative of the Lithuanian Forestry Transition. Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning 17(4): 495-515.

Stanislovaitis, A., Brukas, V., Kavaliauskas, M. & Mozgeris, G. 2015. Forest owner is more than her goal: a qualitative typology of Lithuanian owners. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 30(5): 478-491.

Brukas, V., Mizaras, S. & Mizaraitė, D. 2015. Economic Forest Sustainability: Comparison between Lithuania and Sweden, Forests 6(1): 47-64

Note: Many of these and earlier peer-reviewed publications can be accessed on SLU open archive Epsilon: https://pub.epsilon.slu.se/

https://alterfor-project.eu/