Academic courses

Academic courses

Academic courses Forest management

Economics and Management of Forestry

To provide the necessary and sufficient amount of knowledge about the manifestation of economic laws in forestry. The main economic categories, the mechanism of market price and income distribution are considered. The economics of forestry as a training module aims to provide systematic knowledge about the production, distribution, exchange and consumption of forest goods. Forestry management as a training module is structured so as to reflect its essence as a specific sector of the national economy. The economics and management of forestry through modern legal forms of economic organization is based on the theoretical foundation of neo-institutional theory. The goals and objectives of the course emphasize the relationships between forest owners and users in the process of forest use and income distribution; the economic realization of ownership of production factors; the possibilities for organizing economic activity through administrative and market mechanisms and models for the organizational structure of forestry, as well as its effectiveness. III course, Bachelor’s Degree, Faculty of Forestry.

Lecturers:

  • PhD Konstantin Nikolov Kolev

The aim is to provide knowledge on the theoretical bases of business and economic activities related to the evaluation of land properties in the forest territories and the possibilities for its use in managing the forest sector, purchase and sale of forests, change of land use, mortgage, partition, for assessment of the effect of damage and more.

Lecturers:
  • Assoc. Prof. PhD Ilko Antov Dobrichov

The aim is to ensure the preparation of masters on the main issues of the doctrine of growth and increment of individual trees and forest stands, the methods of study of the growth process and implementation of various activities for increasing the productivity of forests.

Lecturers:
  • Assoc. Prof. PhD Ilko Antov Dobrichov
  • Assoc. Prof. PhD Toma Ivanov Tonchev

The course provides basic scientific knowledge on issues related to the structure of forest territories and forestry production organization aimed at providing an aggregate process for complex utilization of forest resources (tangible and intangible) and their timely reproduction. Knowledge of regulating the use of forests and creating conditions for sustainable use of forest resources.

Lecturers:
  • Assoc. Prof. PhD Ilko Antov Dobrichov
  • Assoc. Prof. PhD Toma Ivanov Tonchev
  • Chief Assist. Prof. Yordan Georgiev Ivanov

The aim is to provide the necessary knowledge and skills of students in the methods of forest mensuration, the methods of determination of forest stand characteristics and the identification of individual tree biomass, as well as the methods of individual tree stands and whole forest massifs and the determination of moves of growth and increment of the individual tree and the forest stand and the taxonomy of the forest fund and the timber products harvested within the fellings.

Lecturers:
  • Assoc. Prof. PhD Ilko Antov Dobrichov
  • Assoc. Prof. PhD Toma Ivanov Tonchev
  • Chief Assist. Prof. Yordan Georgiev Ivanov

General information on forest mensuration. The tree as a component of stands. Physical and approximate mathematical methods for determination of volume of lying stems and their parts. Ways to determine the volume of growing trees. Special features in the taxonomy of growing stems. Growth and increment of individual trees. Basic concepts related to growth and increment of individual trees. Regularities in the structure of forest stands. Concept of forest stand and its taxonomy features. Regularities in the structure of tree stands in thickness, basal area, height, form coefficient and volume. Variation of trees in thickness and height. Methods for volume determination and assortment assessment of trees stands and associated taxonomy measurements.Subject, purpose and tasks of forest management. Regionalization and classification of forests and their application in forest management. Forms of forestry. Maturity of the forest. Rotation period and rotation period for uneven-aged stands. Use in forests within different silvicultural regimes, use in forests with special functions, use in selection forests. Planning of forestry activities. Forest management plan.

Lecturers:
  • Assoc. Prof. PhD Ilko Antov Dobrichov
  • Chief Assist. Prof. Yordan Georgiev Ivanov

The Geodesy course aims to provide future bachelors engineers in forestry with knowledge and practical skills to perform the necessary geodetic measurements, calculations and drawings related to their future work as engineers in the field of Forest Management Planning, Forest Mensuration, Forest Transport, Erosion Control, etc. In addition, they gain knowledge for the competent and comprehensive use of geodetic plans and maps when working in the field of Silviculture, Forest crops, Forest soil science, Environmental Protection, i.e., in the overall organization and planning of forestry. Practical knowledge’s are acquired in exercises and during the training practice.

Lecturers:

  • PhD Eng. Mariya Tzankova Asenova
  • Prof. PhD Radka Georgieva Koleva
  • Chief Asist. Prof. PhD Milena Veselinova Danailova
  • Prof. Eng. Stanimira Stoyanova Stoyanova

The course material covers the following subjects: Part I – Geodesy: general information on geodesy; topographic plans and maps; elements of the theory of errors; supporting and survey geodetic networks; measuring angles, lengths and elevations; measurements with theodolite, level, bearing compass circles, as well as with modern instruments – total stations and GPS devices; compiling topographic plans. Part II – Vertical Planning: Subject and Importance of Vertical Planning in Landscape Architecture; methods of vertical planning, phases and stages of vertical planning; vertical planning of street and alley junctions, green areas and alley networks, squares, playgrounds and parking lots, water areas, quarters, indoor courts, buildings, sports grounds, etc.; earthworks – cartogram and balance of earth masses; a plan for shifting terrestrial masses, as well as the preparation of stake out projects. Students need knowledge in basic subjects such as mathematics, physics, geography, informatics, information technology, etc.

Lecturers:

  • Chief Asist. Prof. PhD Milena Veselinova Danailova

The lectures include topics about the core components of GIS (hardware, software, data, procedures, staff and applications) and related technologies. Database concepts, GIS data types, vector and raster data modelling patterns, map projections and coordinate systems used in GIS are discussed. The course briefly examines the basics of Remote Sensing methods and their relationship with geographic information systems. The necessary emphasis is placed on GIS applications in the field of landscape architecture and data management for territories. The lecture course provides the general theoretical basis and the exercises build knowledge and skills for the practical application of the GIS MapInfo Professional, ArcGIS, QGIS software package. The project includes various ways of introducing, processing and analyzing graphical (raster and vector) and non-graphical (attribute) data in a common database.

Lecturers:

  • PhD Eng. Mariya Tzankova Asenova
  • Prof. Eng. Stanimira Stoyanova Stoyanova

The course covers two scientific disciplines: Geodesy and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The Geodesy course aims to provide future bachelors in ecology and environmental protection with knowledge for competent and comprehensive use of geodetic plans and maps when working in the field of Environmental Protection and practical skills for performing the necessary geodetic measurements using GNSS.

The GIS course provides the necessary basic scientific and practical knowledge on issues related to the types of data in GIS, map projections and coordinate systems used in GIS.

Students acquire knowledge and skills for using specialized ecological and environmental protection data in a GIS environment and spatial analysis and solving a number of scientific, applied and practical tasks.

The knowledge acquired by students in this program will provide them with competent and comprehensive use of geodetic plans and maps, GNSS and GIS in their future work as ecologists.

Lecturers:

  • Prof. PhD Radka Georgieva Koleva

The lectures include topics about the core components of GIS (hardware, software, data, procedures, staff and applications) and related technologies. Database concepts, GIS data types, vector and raster data modelling patterns, map projections and coordinate systems used in GIS are discussed. The course briefly examines the basics of Remote Sensing methods and their relationship with geographic information systems. The necessary emphasis is placed on GIS applications in the field of landscape architecture and data management for territories. The lecture course provides the general theoretical basis and the exercises build knowledge and skills for the practical application of the GIS MapInfo Professional, ArcGIS, QGIS software package. The project includes various ways of introducing, processing and analyzing graphical (raster and vector) and non-graphical (tabular) data in a common database.

Lecturers:

  • PhD Eng. Mariya Tzankova Asenova
  • Prof. Eng. Stanimira Stoyanova Stoyanova

The aim is to provide knowledge of the specific methods of planning and organization of protected forest territories with a view to their full use according to their functional designation: protective – water preserving, recreation, biodiversity conservation, scientific and other cognitive functions etc.

Lecturers:
  • Assoc. Prof. PhD Ilko Antov Dobrichov

The course in Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing aims to provide future bachelors of forestry engineers with knowledge and practical skills in basic issues of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, concerning photogrammetric surveying, some photogrammetric instruments, transformation and interpretation of aerial photographs, photogrammetric measurements on single photographs and stereo models of the terrain, methods and means for acquisition remote data and their processing. Specific applications of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in forestry are examined. Practical skills for working with modern systems for processing digital satellite images and GIS are also acquired.

Lecturers:

  • PhD Eng. Mariya Tzankova Asenova
  • Prof. PhD Radka Georgieva Koleva
  • Chief Asist. Prof. PhD Milena Veselinova Danailova
  • Prof. Eng. Stanimira Stoyanova Stoyanova

The lecture course covers topics in two parts: theoretical basis and applications of GIS. The first includes topics about core definitions, GIS components (hardware, software, data, procedures, staff and applications), database concepts, models for vector, raster and attribute data. In the second direction, the necessary emphasis is focused on the GIS applications in solving environmental problems – for analysis and environmental monitoring, environmental restoration, ecotourism and urban ecology. The course briefly examines the basics of Remote Sensing for environmental research and relationship with GIS.

The lecture course provides the general theoretical basis and the exercises build knowledge and skills for the practical application of the GIS MapInfo Professional, QGIS, ArcGIS software package, as well as open source GIS. The exercises and the project include various ways of introducing, processing and analyzing graphical (raster and vector) and non-graphical (attribute, tabular) data in a common database. The project title and content are oriented to the topic of the master’s program of each student.

Lecturers:

  • PhD Eng. Mariya Tzankova Asenova

The course “Land Use and Cadastre” is an integral course for students of Mountain agriculture, Bachelor’s Degree, which provides the necessary basic scientific and practical knowledge on issues related to the theoretical foundations of the organization of agricultural territories; the rules and approaches to land use planning and the essence of the agricultural land cadastre. The course examines modern and innovative technologies, new tools and software products with application in the cadastre in our country. Students acquire knowledge on the use of specialized databases and services for the field of mountain agriculture as users of cadastral information. As a result of the training, they gain skills for solving a number of scientific and applied tasks in mountain agriculture and territorial organization through the cadastral map and registers in the Cadastral-Administrative Information System of the Agency for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre. Another platform chosen for the training is the Electronic Services System of the State Fund for Agriculture for using the public map, public references and the Digital OrthophotoMap of Bulgaria for mapping agricultural areas. Through the tools of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the trainees acquire skills for creating final products in the form of thematic maps, combined vector and raster data, 3D visualizations and analysis of the interaction between the natural components of the territories.

Lecturers:

  • PhD Eng. Mariya Tzankova Asenova
  • Chief Asist. Prof. PhD Milena Veselinova Danailova
  • Prof. Eng. Stanimira Stoyanova Stoyanova

The discipline is a specialized course of selected topics related with the theory and practice of management of organization. The attention is focused on acquiring knowledge about the main functions of management, the process of preparation and decision making, the control over decisions implementation, the essence and content of communication process in organization. The acquired knowledge can be successfully applied in the management of the forestry enterprises as well as in the main functions of enterprises – marketing, innovation, financing and investments, production, human resources management etc. In addition to the theory and practice of management of organization in the discipline “Forestry Management”, emphasis is placed on the effective management of the financial and human resources of the enterprise. Finance, and in particular investments, are closely related to management science, as it is impossible to generate cash flows movement without a management decision being made. At the same time, without the availability of financial means, it is impossible to plan, organize and expand the production of enterprise. In this relation, the lecture course acquaints students with: management of capital structure of forestry company; cash flows management over time; methods for appraisal the financial efficiency of investments in real assets; methods of valuation and management of investment risk; indicators for assessing the financial situation of forestry enterprise; working with basic information sources; making effective investment and financial decisions. Regarding human resources, it should be noted that according to modern management theories they are important asset of the organization. Its management helps to increase the organization’s competitiveness. In this relation in the course students are acquainted with: the essence of human resources management; the determination of organization’s needs from staff; the planning of staff; methods for recruitment, selection and assessment of staff; the motivation and staff rewarding. Faculty of Forestry, I course, Educational level “Master”

Lecturers:

  • PhD Konstantin Nikolov Kolev
  • Chief Assistant PhD Miroslav Tsonev Marinov

The purpose of the classes in ‘Management of Innovations and Investments’ is to give students theoretical knowledge and to create some practical skills, concerning the contemporary rules, methods and techniques, which are necessary for management of innovations in conditions off as t changing technologies and business environment. The goal predetermines the following tasks: to explain the importance of innovations for the economic growth; to acquaint students with the structure of innovation process as well as the opportunities for implementation of different innovation strategies; to make students familiar with the methods for creation of innovative ideas; to present methods for evaluation of the ideas; to acquaint students with concepts for management of the innovation activities; to acquaint students with the methods for estimation the financial efficiency of investments in new products. In connection with the last one the lectures are focused on selected topics. They are connected with nature of investments in real assets and their importance for the future development of the enterprise. The syllabus includes the main phases of the investment process, the opportunities for management and optimization of investment costs, the approaches for determination and evaluation of cash flows, static and dynamic methods for economic estimation of investment projects, investment selection techniques and methods for investment risk analysis and management. Faculty of Forestry, Faculty of Ecology and Landscape Architecure, I course, Educational Level „Master“.

Lecturers:

  • PhD Konstantin Nikolov Kolev

The goal of the course is to acquaint students with some contemporary aspects and forms of manifestation of the International Economic and Currency Relations. In conditions of globalization of the world economy the scientific interpretation of the International Economic and Currency Relation permits the acquired knowledge to be applied in different practical situations by the future managers. Faculty of Forestry, IV course, Educational level “Bachelor”.

Lecturers:

  • PhD Konstantin Nikolov Kolev

The course is intended for full-time students of the specialty “Alternative Tourism” – for the educational and qualification degree “Bachelor”. The course is a specialized course of selected topics related to the features of the tourism product, types of tourism companies, the specifics of the finances of the tourism company and their importance for its future functioning and development. The emphasis is on investment and financing decisions in tourism, and more specifically on the assessment of investments in financial instruments and real assets, the relationship between risk and return, methods for analysis and assessment of risk, opportunities for long-term financing of the company, the weighted average cost of capital, the essence of financial leverage and the management of the working capital of the tourism company. Faculty of Ecology and Landscape Architecure, I course, Educational Level „Bachelor“.

Lecturers:

  • PhD Konstantin Nikolov Kolev

The course “General Economic Theory” aims to provide students with knowledge of economic theory and, more specifically, to provide knowledge about the behavior of the main economic entities in a market economy. These are households (consumers) and companies (producers) operating in specific commodity or resource markets. To meet the needs of students, emphasis is placed on the market mechanism and the principles of economic thinking necessary to achieve economic, environmental and socio-behavioral results. Attention is focused on studying general concepts, terms, concepts, models and dependencies in economic science, as well as on analyzing interconnected economic quantities necessary to start a successful professional career. Particular attention is paid to clarifying the principles and rules for making economic choices, taking into account the individual and subjective preferences of economic entities. The main task of the course is to familiarize students with the logic of economic phenomena and familiarize them with the conditions under which private business operates. The main problems of macroeconomics, indicators for measuring national production, the nature, properties, functions and evolution of money are examined. Special emphasis is placed on the topics of the nature and phases of the economic cycle, as well as methods and indicators for economic evaluation of projects. In conclusion, the expected usefulness of studying the course is the development of economic and rational behavior of students, which will be beneficial for their practical and professional realization and will help them to be sufficiently flexible and competitive in the labor market. Faculty of Forestry, Faculty of Forest Industry, I course, Educational level “Bachelor”.

Lecturers:

  • PhD Konstantin Nikolov Kolev

The course “Public Sector Economics” aims to provide students with an expanded knowledge of economic theory and, more specifically, to build on their knowledge gained in the course on the discipline “Microeconomics”. The importance of the public sector in the economy increased after World War II, when the economies of many countries underwent a transformation from purely market to mixed ones. This change is associated not so much with a significant increase in the share of the public sector in the economy as with the adoption of a different mechanism for the distribution of resources in society. The public sector in modern mixed market economies occupies a significant share, which is why the study of its specific characteristics and patterns is of utmost importance for society. Today, the global economy is significantly more open and integrated. While ideas travel across geographical and cultural boundaries, the fundamental question is “are the economic principles taught in the West truly suitable for their general application or do they have their cultural limits”? These issues are particularly important in relation to the public sector of economies, because the nature of its issues studies the dependencies between social, political and economic institutions. The present curriculum aims to present the basic concepts of public sector economics, both in theoretical and practical aspects. The expected usefulness for students of the course is related to the formation of theoretical and applied knowledge about the mechanism of functioning of the public sector and their participation as conscious citizens in the governance of the state and its institutions. Educational level “Bachelor”.

Lecturers:

  • PhD Konstantin Nikolov Kolev