As the raw materials within forest products industry are wood and non-wood products (resin, oil etc.) assessment of the raw materials and other resources economically and instrumentally, and the rationalization of the forest enterprises is performed by forest industry engineers.
In parallel to increasing demand for the use of natural and renewable resources in our country and around the world, utilization rate of wood and wood-based materials also increased. Therefore, the possible development in the near future is thought to be a need for new engineering of wood-based materials. Today, the different usages of wood raw material are reported to be close to 6000. The raw material for substances such as pulp and paper, rayon, cellophane, explosives, photographic films, plastics, ethanol, methanol, acetic acid, animal feed, synthetic vanillin, and perfume is wood. Therefore, forests and forest products are widely used in many fields, such as medicine, pharmacy, perfume industry, food industry, textile industry, and chemical industry. This situation leads to the necessity to apply an interdisciplinary approach at the Department of Forest Industry Engineering.
Forest industry engineers are employed in public institutions such as Ministry of Environment and Forestry, DPT, TUBITAK, TSE. However, the main public sector employment rate is relatively low; the main employers are private sector companies operating in various branches of production. Forest industry engineers work in organizations producing more intermediate products, such as lumber, veneer, plywood, wood-based composite products, paper/cardboard and pulp,in those producing more final products such as parquet, paneling, furniture, door and window frames, paper, packaging etc., at various departments with functions ranging from raw material supply and production, marketing, product design to sales.
Subjects of Forest Industry Engineering
In the frame of Forest Industry Engineering education, research and training activities will be focused on issues starting from logs to lumber, development of the newest and most modern techniques for processing of all ligno-cellulosic organic material, conversion to value-added products, composite materials, furniture manufacturing and design, and non-wood forest products.
Education in Forest Industry Engineering
In order to provide high quality education to students in the near future, the Department of Forest Industry Engineering program will meet national and international requirements in a similar way as those of the educational and research institutions in developed countries. The courses will be determined in accordance with the Bologna process.
Forest Industry Engineering at BTU
The mission of BTU Department of Forest Industry Engineering is to educate and engage the scholars, practitioners, and users of the world's forest resources, to conduct distinctive problem-solving and fundamental research on the nature and use of forests and related resources, and to share our discoveries and knowledge with others.
In and around Bursa, well-established forest products (veneer, lumber, and particleboard, fiberboard and other wood-based composite materials, paper and cardboard production) processing industry, advanced industrial infrastructure especially in furniture manufacturing and design, provides our students with a high number of options for practice, research and employment. In addition, in our country, most of the commercial activity of forest products manufacturing and trading companies and those providing various chemicals, additives, machine parts and technical support to them, is concentrated in Marmara and Aegean regions which are close to the resources of raw materials.
Therefore, to meet the needs of the forest products industry, the need for qualified engineers and experts is considered. Well-educated, English-speaking experts graduated from this department, will improve university-industry-government cooperation and technology transfer.
Faculty members of Forest Industry Engineering who have wide and broad vision will determine the issues and areas of study that could meet the needs of the forest industry.
Education in Forest Industry Engineering at BTU will be provided by academics with a broad vision and international experience.