Address for correspondence: Bulgaria, Sofia 1797, 10 Kliment Ohridski Blvd., Forestry University, Faculty of Forestry, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Location: building "A", floor 3, room No. 308
Head of the department: Assoc. Prof. PhD Simeon Bogdanov Bogdanov
Responsible for quality: ch. assistant dr. Slavcho Asenov Savev - building "A", floor 3, room No. 334, phone 91907/352
Training organizers: eng. Lyudmila Mladenova - building "A", floor 3, room No. 308, phone 91907/265; Eng. Yulia Hristova - building A, floor 2, laboratory 207, phone 91907/362.
The Department of Silviculture is the successor of the first department in the field of forestry - "Afforestation" (from 1923) and the department of "General Silviculture" (from 1931), which were united in 1976.
On 01.01.1924, assoc. prof. Todor Dimitrov was appointed as the head of the department of Afforestation and became the first professor in the field of forestry in 1930. After he passed away in 1938, the department was headed by prof. Boyan Zahariev, until 1976. During this period the department has renamed the department of Silviculture.
During the period 1974 - 1976, the department "Dendrology and Tree Anatomy" was added to it, and the department was named "Forest Plantations" headed by prof. Boyan Zahariev.
In 1976, the "Silviculture" and "Forest Crops" departments were reorganized, forming the "Silviculture" department and the "Forest Botany and Breeding" department.
From 1976 to 1995, the subjects related to soil science were transferred to the "Protection and enrichment of the natural environment" department.
In 1995, the department of "Soil Science and Erosion" was established, which in 1999 was renamed "Soil Science".
In 2022, the Department of Soil Science was closed, with the faculty moving back to the department of “Silviculture”.
The former heads of the Department of Soil Science were: assoc. prof. Tsvetan Yordanov (1995 - 2016), prof. Lyudmila Malinova (2016 - 2020) and assoc. prof. Simeon Bogdanov (2020 - 2022).
The Department “General Silviculture” was founded in 1931. Its first head was prof. Metodi Ruskov. During its history the department was headed by: prof. Metodi Ruskov until 1945, acad. Boris Stefanov (1945 – 1949), prof. Nikola Penev (1949 – 1961), acad. Mako Dakov (1961 – 1971) prof. Ivan Dobrinov (1971 – 1976), prof. Vlasi Vlasev (1976 - 1979), prof. Petar Kostov (1979 - 1982), acad. Mako Dakov (1982 - 1989), assoc. prof. Slavcho Iliev (1989 - 1993), prof. Georgi Rafailov (1993 – 2004) and assoc. prof. Georgi Kostov (from 2004 – until now).
Other lecturers were: prof. Viktor Donov, prof. Svetla Gencheva, prof. Elena Zheleva, prof. Kitka Yorova, prof.Bonko Zashev, prof. Bozhin Bogdanov, prof. Vasil Stiptsov, assoc. prof. Maria Nikolova, prof. Roman Florov, prof. Dimitar Stoyanov, assoc.prof. Nayden Chakarov,assoc. prof. Plamen Alexandrov, ch. ass. Boyko Nedelin, ch. ass. Martin Borisov, ch. ass. Vladimir Tsonev and eng.Angel Georgiev.
Other lecturers who worked in the Department of “Soil Science”: before its closure are prof. Dimitar Zakov, prof. Rositsa Petrova, prof. Maya Nustorova, prof. Krasimira Staneva, assoc. prof. Rositsa Ilieva, ch. assistant Sofia Mircheva-Neirich, ch. ass. Todor Paunov, ch. ass. Ivan Myashkov and ass. Vladimir Ilinkin.
The main areas of study and research activity in the department are:
• Continuous cover forest management;
• Forest ecology, dynamics of forest plantations and dynamics of forest resources;
• Seed production, nursery production and afforestation;
• Assessment of ecosystem services and adaptive forest management;
• Rational use and renewal of forest non-timber resources;
• Multifunctional management and multifunctional forest planning;
• Forest certification;
• Forest pedagogy.
• Genesis and classification of soils;
• Reclamation of soils, assessment and improvement of soil fertility;
• Impact of forest fires on soils;
• Monitoring, chemical composition, influence of polluted air and climate changes on soils, degradation processes and erosion;
• Microbiological and enzymatic indicators of soils, sanitary microbiology.
The following disciplines are taught in the "Forestry" department:
• Silviculture - assoc. prof. Georgi Kostov, ch. ass. Neno Alexandrov and Ch. ass. Kalin Karamfilov;
• Basics silviculture – assoc. prof. Georgi Kostov and ch. ass.Neno Alexandrov;
• Forest management - ch. ass. Neno Alexandrov;
• World Forestry - assoc. prof. Georgi Kostov and ch. assistant Kalin Karamfilov;
• Multifunctional forest management - assoc. prof. Georgi Kostov, ch. ass. Slavcho Savev and ch. ass. Kalin Karamfilov;
• Forest plantations - prof. Milko Milev, assoc. prof. Krasimira Petkova and assoc. prof. Nasko Iliev;
• Basics of agroforestry – assoc. prof. Krasimira Petkova;
• Technologies for restoration of damaged soils and terrains, "Forest plaqntations" module – assoc. prof. Krasimira Petkova;
• Agroforestry – assoc. prof. Krasimira Petkova;
• Agroforestry systems – assoc. prof. Krasimira Petkova;
• Forest plantations - prof. Milko Milev and assoc. prof. Nasko Iliev;
• Creation of new forests – assoc. prof. Nasko Iliev;
• Protective afforestation – assoc. prof. Krasimira Petkova;
• Non-timber forest resources - ch. ass. Slavcho Savev and ch. ass. Teodor Nedelin.
• Mushroom and medicinal plants cultivation - ch. ass. Slavcho Savev and ch. ass. Teodor Nedelin.
• Management of non-timber resources in protected areas - ch. ass. Slavcho Savev and ch. ass. Teodor Nedelin.
• Forest certification - ch. ass. Neno Alexandrov;
• Forest Soil Science – assoc. prof. Simeon Bogdanov, ch. ass. Kamelia Petrova and ch. ass. Pavel Pavlov;
• Erosion and protection of soils – assoc. prof. Biser Hristov;
• Abiotic monitoring, Lands and Soils module – assoc. prof. Simeon Bogdanov;
• Microbiological control in the environment – assoc. prof. Boyka Malcheva;
• Microbiology – assoc. prof. Boyka Malcheva and ch. ass. Bilyana Grigorova-Pesheva;
• Soil microbiology – assoc. prof. Boyka Malcheva and ch. ass. Bilyana Grigorova-Pesheva;
• Soil science – assoc. prof. Biser Hristov and ch. ass. Bilyana Grigorova-Pesheva;
• Soil science and soil conservation – assoc. prof. Simeon Bogdanov and ch. ass. Pavel Pavlov;
• Soil science with bases fertilization - assoc. prof. Simeon Bogdanov and ch. ass. Kamelia Petrova.
• Soil science, soil pollution and impact on ecosystems – assoc. prof. Biser Hristov;
• Soil monitoring – assoc. prof. Biser Hristov;
• Sustainable management of soil resources in forest areas – assoc. prof. Simeon Bogdanov;
• Forest pedagogics - hon. ass. PhD Anna Petrakieva.
Staff of the department (left to right): chief ass. PhD Teodor Nedelin; chief ass. PhD Slavcho Savev; assoc. prof. PhD Simeon Bogdanov;
assoc. prof. PhD Biser Hristov; Eng. Yulia Hristova; assoc. prof. PhD Nasko Iliev; assoc. prof. PhD Georgi Kostov - head of department;
chief ass. PhD Neno Alexandrov; chief ass. PhD Bilyana Grigorova-Pesheva; chief ass. PhD Kamelia Petrova;
chief ass. PhD Kalin Karamfilov; assoc. prof. DSc. Krasimira Petkova; prof. PhD Milko Milev; chief ass. PhD Pavel Pavlov.
