Augustin Lambert, a 21-year-old forestry student from France, completed an internship with the Military Forests over the summer, gaining experience in forest management in the Brdy highland forests. He came to the Czech Republic not only because of the compulsory international placement required as part of his studies, but also thanks to Czech classmates he had met in France.
Twenty-one-year-old Augustin comes from the area around the city of Le Mans and is studying forestry at an engineering school in Bordeaux. Whilst looking for an internship, he was drawn to the Military Forests due to their focus on forest management, a field he would like to pursue professionally. The opportunity to work directly in the countryside and the Military Forests’ approach to forest management also played an important role.
The Brdy Mountains made an impression on him immediately upon arrival. He was particularly surprised by the rugged landscape and extensive forests here. An even greater surprise for him, however, was the emphasis that VLS, in his experience, places on nature-friendly forestry practices.
“What surprised me most was how much attention the company pays to proper forestry practices with regard to the environment – not just productivity – and how much it invests in forest conservation,” says Augustin, summarising one of his experiences so far.
The placement thus enabled the young French forester to gain first-hand experience of Czech forest management and to compare local approaches with his experiences in France. At the same time, it offered an opportunity to demonstrate how forest management in the Brdy region is integrated with the long-term care of forest ecosystems, which is particularly important for the LIFE Adapt Brdy project.
