In the world of forestry, wearing high heels in the workplace sounds counterintuitive. It brings up associations of impracticality, unpreparedness for the tasks ahead and, in the worst case, potential work-related injuries. Such concerns arise primarily from misunderstanding about the everyday roles and responsibilities of forest scientists. In reality, their work includes much more than just outdoor, physical tasks, and each pair of shoes tells a story about different paths in forestry science.
Just as different occasions in life require different shoes, each area of forestry requires different expertise. The multi-faceted nature of the role of a forest scientist can be effectively illustrated by examining a typical workday across three different areas of responsibility: 1) Field work; 2) laboratory research; and 3) Office-based analysis.
Offering a comprehensive understanding of the diverse roles within forestry science and how they interconnect to achieve both shared and different research goals, Barbara, Ivana, and Marija — colleagues at the Croatian Forest Research Institute — each provide insights into their daily responsibilities, the methodologies they employ, and the tools integral to their work.
Barbara’s Hiking Boots: Collecting practical sampling
First, let’s lace up enduring hiking boots for a field adventure with Barbara. Barbara’s experiences provide insight into the practical aspects of field work.
1. Describe your typical and atypical day at work. Any surprising moments you’d like to share?
A typical day involves fieldwork where I apply the VTA method – assessing tree stability and vitality, recording damage, and identifying potential risks. Atypical days happen when we receive urgent reports about hazardous trees in populated areas and need to respond quickly. One surprising moment was discovering a tree that was completely hollow inside, even though it looked perfectly healthy from the outside.
2. What are the main tasks that keep you busy—and what tools or gear can’t you live without in your role?
My work includes visual tree assessments, documenting conditions, and entering data into the GIS system. I can’t work without a GPS device, binoculars, tablet, and a resistograph, which helps me analyse the internal condition of the wood. These tools are essential for making accurate and safe decisions.
3. What is your motivation at work and how can you relate to your colleagues?
I’m motivated by the opportunity to help ensure public safety and preserve healthy urban and forest trees. Even though I spend most of my time in the field, I stay in regular contact with colleagues in the lab who analyse samples, and with those in the office who coordinate next steps. Our shared goals and constant communication make us an effective team.
Ivana’s Lab Sneakers: Delivering microworld research
It’s time to ease off the hiking boots and jump into Ivana’s dynamic sneakers. Ivana’s work demonstrates the intricacies of laboratory tasks.
1. Describe your typical and atypical day at work. Any surprising moments you’d like to share?
I spend most of my time in the lab, working with truffle-inoculated seedlings. My typical lab day involves checking their development and analysing root colonization under a microscope (Andrés-Alpuente et al. 2014). When I am not in the lab, you can find me in the greenhouse taking care of the seedlings. A surprising moment was when we discovered which pests were eating the roots of our plants and we are working even harder to protect the plants.
2. What are the main tasks that keep you busy—and what tools or gear can’t you live without in your role?
My days are filled with tending to seedlings, recording data, preparing for inoculations, and a fair bit of problem-solving. The lab is a real puzzle – some days I’m looking at roots for colonisation patterns, other days I’m preparing substrates or inoculum. As for tools, I couldn’t live without my stereomicroscope – it’s my second pair of eyes. Also, sterile gloves (lots of them), my lab notebook, and the humidity monitor in the greenhouse.
3. What is your motivation at work and how can you relate to your colleagues?
My motivation comes from the beauty of nature and the idea that a seedling, a spore and a little patience can create something extraordinary like a truffle. This kind of collaboration with nature and the fact that I am expanding my knowledge is what motivates me. My colleagues in the field and in the office are very important to me, because they, for example, collect acorns for future seedlings, or the office friend who make a sense of our data. It’s hard to be everything at once, so we are a team.
Marija’s Office Heels: Presenting refined analysis
From Ivana’s supportive sneakers to Marijas’s focused heels – Marija’s contributions highlight the analytical processes conducted in office settings.
1. Describe your typical and atypical day at work. Any surprising moments you’d like to share?
My workday usually starts with a big mug of a black coffee after which I’m ready for reviewing data. Most days, I’m deep in forest data — mapping trends, running statistics from the lab or field work data, and all that for creating a story. A typical day can look like a computer or software error, just before the deadline. But on the other hand, a surprising moment was catching signs of a pest outbreak via satellite data before field teams spotted it!
2. What are the main tasks that keep you busy—and what tools or gear can’t you live without in your role?
My main task is to process the data that my colleagues have collected conscientiously over a long period of time and handed over to me, but also to provide feedback to them on how to better approach the collection of this data. My must-haves are some stats programs, a good laptop and coffee. Lots of coffee!
3. What is your motivation at work and how can you relate to your colleagues?
I love turning complex data into practical forestry solutions. Although I’m in the office, I work closely with colleagues who collect field data and analyse soil samples in the lab. We each speak a different “forest language,” but we’re all working toward the same goal – healthy and resilient forests.
In every scientist’s shoes
Now that we walked these diverse paths, we can see that the forest science profession requires a varied shoe collection. From Barbara’s hands-on field research and Ivana’s precise laboratory work to Marija’s analytical office tasks, each footwear represents an important piece in a forest scientist’s wardrobe which cannot be ignored. These varied responsibilities highlight the interdisciplinary nature of the field, where collaboration across different domains is essential to achieve project goals and objectives.
Undoubtedly, there are many more roles and shoes to fit into to walk this path, each contributing with their unique abilities and expertise. We hope this insight encourages an exploration of them and a new perspective on what it means to walk a mile in forest scientist’s (multiple!) shoes.
References
Andrés-Alpuente A, Sánchez S, Martín M, Aguirre AJ, Barriuso JJ. Comparative analysis of different methods for evaluating quality of Quercus ilex seedlings inoculated with Tuber melanosporum. Mycorrhiza. 2014 Apr;24 Suppl 1:S29-37. doi: 10.1007/s00572-014-0563-x. Epub 2014 Feb 13. PMID: 24522843.
YLP Mediterranean 2025 – Breaking stereotypes in the forest sector #4
This video, produced as part of the broader story package under the EFI Young Leadership Programme – Mediterranean (YLP-MED) 2025, complements the blog article above by visually exploring the theme Breaking stereotypes in the forest sector.
Created during the programme’s soft skills sessions on communication, storytelling, and filmmaking, the video specifically challenges the stereotype that forestry work is limited to outdoor field activities. It highlights the diversity of roles across office-based, laboratory, and other professional settings, emphasising the range of skills and personalities within the forest sector.
This story package (article and video) was originally produced by Ivana Zegnal, Marija Majnarić, Barbara Škiljan, and Olivera Kalozi as part of the EFI Young Leadership Programme – Mediterranean 2025.
