When Forest Meets School

In the current admissions cycle, a clear increase in applications to forestry-related programmes can be observed for the first time in several years. The Forest Science programme has more than doubled its number of first-choice applicants compared to 2025, and programmes in forest economics as well as forest and landscape have also seen an increase in first-choice applications. The Forest Management programme continues to show strong demand. While students’ educational choices are influenced by multiple factors, the timing of this increase coincides with more long-term and systematic efforts focused on visibility and dialogue, suggesting that these initiatives have had a tangible impact.

During the spring of 2026, the Faculty of Forest Sciences at SLU conducted The Forest Life on Tour, visiting 24 upper secondary schools in central and northern Sweden over a seven-week period. The aim was to strengthen student recruitment through personal encounters between upper secondary pupils and current SLU students. The initiative was designed around dialogue-based activities rather than traditional marketing, with an emphasis on conversation, storytelling and interaction.

Forestry-related issues play a central role in the transition towards a more sustainable society—particularly in relation to climate change, biodiversity, energy supply and the circular bioeconomy. Despite this, the tour revealed that knowledge about the content and breadth of forestry education remains limited among upper secondary pupils. Forestry is often associated with narrow and stereotypical career paths, while the interdisciplinary nature of the programmes is relatively unknown. The challenge therefore appears to be not a lack of interest, but rather limited exposure and contact.

The evaluation of the school tour shows that personal encounters are highly influential in generating engagement and interest. Interactive elements such as The Forest Game engaged more than 1,500 students, and QR codes in targeted mailings were widely used. Students staffing the booth described in-depth conversations in which pupils—often initially drawn by the game—went on to express interest in specific programmes and career paths. The results indicate that dialogue-based communication can be more effective than traditional digital channels in reaching this target group.

The school tour demonstrates that when forestry education is made understandable, relevant and grounded in human interaction, interest can increase. At the same time, structural challenges remain, including strong competition from broader environmental and sustainability programmes. However, the experiences from the 2026 tour suggest that future recruitment efforts are better supported by contexts that combine scientific depth with personal narratives, rather than by increased volumes of marketing alone. In this work, the personal conversation emerges as a key mechanism.

A sincere thank you to everyone who, with commitment and energy, contributes to student recruitment. In particular, I would like to highlight our dedicated staff members and our enthusiastic student ambassadors, whose efforts are truly invaluable.

Camilla Widmark, Vice dean for undergraduate education