Forest Engineer Day in Colombia

Since the creation of the Forestry Engineering program and Faculty of the Universidad Distrital in 1952, the serious study of forest resources began. With the first degree theses elaborated by foresters in the 50's, the study of forests began with a vision of sustainable management and applying the scientific process, such as the inventory and management of resprouts and natural regeneration of Quercus humboldtii in the Virolín forest reserve in the department of Boyacá by Professor Jorge Becerra in 1956.

The first foresters occupied positions in the Ministry of Agriculture and departmental governments, in charge of water management (beginning of watershed management), including the first reforestations for protective purposes and restoration and recovery of degraded areas, influenced by the guidance given by technicians, agronomists and foresters from the United States, through the technical assistance offered by the Ministry of Agriculture.

The first seed orchard of a forest species was installed in the country in 1976 by Cartón de Colombia, the Cupressus lusitánica and was the product of the selection of 40 trees plus a thorough qualification of more than 3'200.000 trees that had been planted in the decade of the 50's; other species such as Pinuspatula, Pinus radiata and P. maximinoi, were some of those planted in that first decade.

In Colombia and in many other countries, there is a recognized tradition of celebrating October 4 as the classic Forest Engineer's Day and, in general, as a day for the professions, crafts and arts related to the science and technology of forestry. This tradition comes from the Catholic calendar of saints, in which October 4 is dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi, who was accepted as the patron saint of ecology because of his predilection for living in contact with animals, forests and nature. Francis of Assisi, an Italian, lived from 1182 to 1226; he was neither born nor died on October 4; he was a military man rather than a religious figure; during his lifetime he was declared a saint by the people. He founded a religious order (the Franciscans) which still exists today, was a prolific writer, and died very poor, on October 3, at the age of 44.