About us

1. Our work contributes to the sustainable safeguarding of the social, ecological and economic values of forests - for us and for future generations.
2. We provide scientifically sound information on the forest and its products and services.
3. We impart knowledge and skills, making them accessible and applicable, and delivering them with enthusiasm.
4. We provide impartial advice and moderation in operational and social processes.
5. We handle enquiries in a friendly, competent and reliable manner.
6. We learn new information for our work through dialogue with practitioners. Close to the experiences of forest owners...
7. Through national and international cooperation and participation in scientific discourse, we work today on what will be important tomorrow.

The tasks of the FVA are defined in §76 LWaldG (State Forest Act) for Baden-Württemberg. 

Further tasks arise from other legal regulations. The FVA is assigned tasks under the Hunting and Wildlife Management Act and the State Nature Conservation Act, for example, as well as having a role in advising the supreme hunting authority.

The statute of the FVA (pdf in German) also gives the FVA an organisational role.

Science depends on scientific research being carried out free of precept and under the personal responsibility of the researchers. An essential characteristic of scientific work is the “radical freedom to question everything that is claimed” and thus to find something fundamentally new as well as to substantiate this in constant discussion with other scientists. Observing these ideal conditions requires a high degree of responsibility and the capacity for self-criticism in all involved.

The conditions necessary for good scientific practice:

• The freedom to question must be constantly defended and defined and set against the also justified administrative or managerial requirements of the project, department or administration.
• External influences from initiators or “clients” must then be checked to see to what extent they limit the openness of the outcomes of the research work.
• The intellectual property rights of those who have created new methodological developments must always be protected as absolute high-ranking assets.

A special feature of the research work at the FVA is the close interdisciplinary cooperation between different subject areas on large-scale projects. For this, the subject orientation of the comparatively small sub-working groups must be determined. The efficient exchange of information and data between the sub-working groups must be organised, as well as their active participation in the joint development of the specific methodology, especially on interdisciplinary and synoptic evaluation approaches. A project strategy must also be devised. For these tasks, the formation of project advisory boards with a clear mandate and organisational remit is essential.

As a research facility conducting research into forestry practice, the FVA has a specific mediating function between universities, state forest enterprises, commercial enterprises and forest administrations. In this arena of potentially conflicting interests, demands and expectations may arise that lead to scientific misconduct, for example when scientific/methodological certainty is sidelined in the desire to fulfil the expectations of a superior authority.

Due to its position in the transfer area between practice and research, the FVA is often called upon for its assessment as an independent body of experts. Particular care must be taken here to ensure independence and impartiality.

Due to the high proportion of long-term monitoring tasks carried out by the FVA, there is a special obligation for long-term data storage and documentation. It is therefore essential to document not only the results themselves, but also the metadata (method descriptions and calculation steps linked to the data).

The recommendations for ensuring good scientific practice at the FVA and example catalogues of possible sanctions or consequences in the event of scientific misconduct were introduced as a binding basis for scientific work at the FVA in December 2009. They were adapted from the recommendations of the German Research Foundation (DFG) on the same subject, and take account of the specific concerns and challenges of state research institutions. Dr. Gerald Kändler has been appointed as a so-called ombudsman to advise on and clarify problem cases.

FVA co-operates closely with other Forest Research Institutes in Germany and in neighboring countries, as well as with several universities. The collaboration with the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources of the University of Freiburg is particularly intensive. Thereby Freiburg University excels in fundamental research while FVA focusses on practice oriented research and development for the state forest administration, the state forest and forest enterprises.FVA co-operates closely with other Forest Research Institutes in Germany and in neighboring countries, as well as with several universities. The collaboration with the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources of the University of Freiburg is particularly intensive. Thereby Freiburg University excels in fundamental research while FVA focusses on practice oriented research and development for the state forest administration, the state forest and forest enterprises.

FVA is an active member of the following international networks:

• IUFRO – The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) is a non-profit, non-governmental international network of forest scientists, which promotes global cooperation in forest-related research and enhances the understanding of the ecological, economic and social aspects of forests.
• EFI – The European Forest Institute is an international organisation, established by European States. Headquarters is in Joensuu, Finland. EFI conducts research and provides policy support on issues related to forests.
• NFZ.forestnet – Nancy-Freiburg-Zürich Forest Research Network is a European research and higher education network which gathers French, German and Swiss institutions working on forestry, forest ecosystem and forest-related products. It aims at creating and developing collaborative research and education projects.
• Waldwissen.net – waldwissen.net is a multilingual practice oriented information platform for foresters (English, German, French, Italian). The website run by forestry experts for forestry experts. It provides guaranteed, up-to-date quality information on forests, man and forest management.

As member of these networks FVA participates in international research projects, boosts knowledge transfer during international meetings, conferences and excursions, teaches in interdisciplinary summer schools for junior scientists, and fosters trans-border exchanges between scientists, practitioners, and forest administrations especially in the tri-national region of Germany, France and Switzerland.