Junior research group on Forest-related Environmental Communication

Research and teaching at the interface of forest and society

How do we talk about the forest - and how does this communication shape our knowledge, our attitudes and our actions? This is precisely where the junior research group "Forest-Related Environmental Communication" comes in, which successfully started its work at the TUD Dresden University of Technology on November 1, 2025. The group is based at the Department of Forest Sciences in Tharandt and is part of the Chair of Tropical and International Forestry. Its establishment is made possible by the Eva Mayr-Stihl Foundation, which is funding the project with more than one million euros, thus sending a clear signal of the importance of social issues in forestry science.

The starting point for the junior research group is a changed job profile: foresters today are not only responsible for the care and management of forests, but are also increasingly in dialog with forest owners, politicians, the media and the public. The need for sound communication skills is correspondingly high. A central goal of the junior research group is therefore to further develop student training in a targeted manner in the field of forest-related environmental communication. Existing courses are to be expanded, made more practical and enriched with new, innovative teaching and learning formats. Students should learn how to communicate complex forestry topics in a way that is appropriate for the target audience and how to actively shape communication processes.

At the same time, the junior research group pursues an independent research program. The focus is on the question of how communication about forests arises and has an effect - in personal conversations, in educational settings, in organizations or in traditional and social media. Particular attention is paid to the perception of forest protection and forest use as well as the associated social conflicts and negotiation processes. Other core research areas include the participation of citizens in future forest development, cooperation between different forms of forest ownership and the self-perception and external perception of the forestry sector. The junior research group expressly sees itself as a bridge between research and practice and strives for close networking within TU Dresden and with external partners.

The junior research group is headed by Dr. Sandra Liebal. After completing her diploma in forestry science at TU Dresden, she completed a master's degree in environmental education at the University of Rostock. Her professional career is characterized by a close integration of scientific work with practical activities: In addition to her academic career, Dr. Liebal has worked as a freelancer in forest and experiential education for many years, developing innovative educational and mediation formats relating to forests and sustainability. Her core research areas are forest governance and forest-related public relations and education work. In particular, she investigates how forests and forestry are perceived and communicated and what influence this has on political decision-making processes. As Secretary General of the SILVA Network, Dr. Liebal is also involved in networking forestry higher education in Europe. For the early-career researchers group "Forest-related environmental communication", Dr. Sandra Liebal is pursuing the goal of opening up new ways of combining research, teaching and practice together with an interdisciplinary team of research associates and students, doctoral students and external experts.