The aim of the study was to examine the impact of forestry studies on the social construction of the forester’s professional identity and assess the perceived alignment between academic education and the structural requirements of professional practice as articulated by students. The main research question was: how do forestry studies shape the image and normative framing of the forester’s profession and how is the adequacy of the educational programme for professional practice evaluated by students? It was hypothesised that forestry studies exert a significant positive influence on the perception of the forester’s profession and are perceived as largely aligned with professional requirements. The study adopted a quantitative design, employing a diagnostic survey in a repeated cross−sectional framework conducted in October 2023, 2024, and 2025. It encompassed independent cohorts of first−year students at the Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow (N=188, N=162, N=158). The online questionnaire included questions about the image of a forester developed during their studies, the alignment of knowledge and competencies with professional requirements, the importance of forest functions, and the reactions of family and friends to their choice of field of study. The analysis relied on descriptive statistics (response counts and frequencies) and did not employ inferential procedures, given the non−probabilistic character of the sample and the exploratory−descriptive aim of the study. Analysis of the results from three study groups and a literature review allowed for the formulation of key conclusions. The findings indicate that studies primarily reinforce positive evaluations of foresters’ professional and organisational competences, whereas in socio−political and ideological domains they more frequently generate critical or neutral orientations. Forestry education contributes to the ongoing professionalisation of the occupational field while neither eliminating nor fully neutralising its structurally embedded controversies. Discrepancies between curricular content and student expectations were identified, indicating areas requiring structural adjustment to enhance graduates’ preparedness for profes− sional challenges. Reactions of family members and friends to the choice of forestry studies were predominantly positive, irrespective of the respondents’ place of residence. The study captures the perspectives of a younger generation increasingly conscious of its agency within social media and public policy discourses, thereby enabling cautious projections regarding the future devel− opment of forest governance and human resource management in the sector. Most respondents positively assessed the adequacy of education, knowledge, teaching skills, and research activities for the scope of tasks performed in a forester’s work, with differences evident based on place of residence and gender. The results contribute to the broader discourse on the social perception of the forester’s profession and may inform the development of forestry education responsive to both student expectations and labour market dynamics. The findings provide a basis for formu− lating recommendations concerning curricular modification, for the preliminary identification of inter−cohort shifts in the perception of the profession, and for strengthening institutional support for first−year students in meeting their academic and cognitive needs.

Aleksandrowicz-Trzcińska, M., Łakomy, P. and Pietrzykowski, M. (2022). Aktualne trendy w leśnym szkolnictwie wyższym – przygotowanie kadr dla leśnictwa przyszłości. In: K. Szabla (ed.) „Leśnictwo przyszłości” sesja naukowa z okazji 121 Zjazdu Polskiego Towarzystwa Leśnego w Starych Jabłonkach, 07-10.09.2022. Polskie Towarzystwo Leśne, 159-180.
Anderwald, D. (2006). 10-letnie doświadczenia CEPL w edukacji przyrodniczo-leśnej w czasach transformacji świadomości ekologicznej społeczeństw. Studia i Materiały Centrum Edukacji Przyrodniczo-Leśnej, 3(13), 9-42.
Arévalo, J., Mola-Yudego, B., Qu, M. and Pelkonen, P. (2012). Students’ views on forestry education: A cross-national comparison across three universities in Brazil, China and Finland. Forest Policy and Economics, 25, 123-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2012.08.015.
Barker, M. (2025). Forest education: Past, present, and future. Forests, 16(12), 1801. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16121801.
Bookchin, M. (2007). Social ecology and communalism. Oakland: AK Press, 62.
Brack, C.L. (2019). Forestry education that goes beyond the standard and unoriginal. Australian Forestry, 82(4), 163-165. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049158.2019.1681067.
Dudek, T. (2017). Ocena programów kształcenia z zakresu rekreacyjnego użytkowania lasu przez absolwentów średnich i wyższych szkół leśnych zatrudnionych w Lasach Państwowych [Assessment of the curricula with regard to recreational use of forests by graduates of secondary schools and universities employed in the State Forests]. Sylwan, 161(3), 254-258. https://doi.org/10.26202/sylwan.2017003.
Dunlap, R.E. and Marshall, B.K. (2007). Environmental sociology. In: C.D. Bryant, D.L. Peck eds. 21st Century Sociology. Sage, 329-34..
Dunlap, R.E. and Van Liere, K.D. (2008). The „New Environmental Paradigm“. The Journal of Environmental Education, 40(1), 19-28. https://doi.org/10.3200/JOEE.40.1.19-28.
Durkheim, É. (1933). The division of labor in society. The Free Press.
Freidson, E. (1970). Professional dominance: The social structure of medical care. Atherton Press, 254.
Grzenkowska, K. (2023). Co się stało z naszym lasem, jaka jest jego przyszłość. Dyskusja o tym, czy plany leśników są słuszne. Portal Miasta Gdańska. Available from: https://www.gdansk.pl/wiadomosci/Co-sie-stalo-z-naszym-lasem-jaka-jest-jego-przyszlosc-Debata-ktora-wywolala-emocje,a,244440.
Grzywacz, A. (1989). Niektóre problemy edukacji leśnej w Polsce [Some problems of forest education in Poland]. Sylwan, 133(6), 1-13.
Himes, A.J., Bauhus, J., Adhikari, S., Barik, S. ... and Puettmann, K.J. (2023). Forestry in the face of global change: Results of a global survey of professionals. Current Forestry Reports, 9, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40725-023-00205-1.
Jamshidi, F., Mogehi, S., Cheraghi, M., Jafari, S.F., Kabi, I. and Rashidi, L. (2017). A cross-sectional study of psychiatric disorders in medical sciences students. Materia Socio-Medica, 29(3), 188-191. https://doi.org/10.5455/msm.2017.29.188-191.
Kelly, E.C. and Brown, G. (2019). Who are we educating and what should they know? An assessment of forestry education in California. Journal of Forestry, 117(2), 95-103. https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvy079.
Kikulski, J. (2023). Social perception of the need for forest management in Poland – assessment of the current status and occurring changes. Sylwan, 167(9), 549-568. https://doi.org/10.26202/sylwan.2023058.
Michalik, M. (2018). Percepcja – rozważania metanaukowe i metalogopedyczne. Logopedia, 47, 123-137. https://doi.org/10.24335/dhwm-qw21.
Migacz-Bodziony, I., Mandryk, I. and Gwóźdź, E. (2025). Stan odżywienia, nawyki żywieniowe i częstość spożywania wybranych grup produktów żywnościowych wśród studentów w zależności od płci i profilu kształcenia – badanie przekrojowe. Medycyna Ogólna i Nauki o Zdrowiu, 31(4), 281-289. https://doi.org/10.26444/monz/211760.
Müller, C., El-Ansari, K. and El Ansari, W. (2022). Cross-sectional analysis of mental health among university students: Do sex and academic level matter? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12670. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912670.
Myers, J.S. (2020). Theories in environmental sociology. In: K.A. Gould, T.L. Lewis, eds. Twenty lessons in environmental sociology (3rd edition). Oxford University Press, 28-56.
National Cancer Institute. (2026). Cross-sectional study. NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms. Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/cross-sectional-study.
O’Hara, K.L. and Salwasser, H. (2015). Forest science education in research universities. Journal of Forestry, 113(6), 581-584. https://doi.org/10.5849/jof.15-018.
Ozimiński, R., Szczypa, P. (2023). Oferta edukacyjna Nadleśnictwa Zielona Góra na tle potrzeb szkół zielonogorskich [Educational offer of the Zielona Góra forest district in view of the needs of Zielona Góra schools]. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Seria Silvarum Colendarum Ratio et Industria Lignaria, 22(1), 45-56. https://doi.org/10.17306/J.AFW.2023.1.5.
PBS (2025). Postrzeganie Lasów Państwowych 2025: Raport z badania. Sopot: Agencja badawcza PBS Sp. z o.o., 106. Available from: https://wgaszczuinformacji.pl/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Postrzeganie-Lasow-Panstwowych-2025-raport-graficzny_2025_03_11.pdf.
Paschalis-Jakubowicz, P. (2016). Edukacja leśna – konsekwencje interakcji: innowacyjność a programy nauczania [Forest education – the consequences of interaction: Innovation and curricula]. Sylwan, 160(2), 100-106. https://doi.org/10.26202/sylwan.2015154.
Pieczykolan, A., Grzesik-Gąsior, J., Bień, A. and Krygowska, K. (2023). Zaburzenia ortoreksyjne a poczucie własnej sku-teczności i satysfakcja z życia studentów kierunków medycznych – badanie przekrojowe [Orthorexic disorders, self-efficacy and satisfaction with life of medical students – cross-sectional study]. Sztuka Leczenia, 38(2), 13-24.
Şen, G., Güneş Şen, S. and Ergün Karak, B. (2025). Professional perspectives and expectations of forest engineering students. Turkish Journal of Forestry, 26(3), 319-331. https://doi.org/10.18182/tjf.1743356.
Solon, J. (2008). Koncepcja „Ecosystem Services“ i jej zastosowanie w badaniach ekologiczno-krajobrazowych. Problemy Ekologii Krajobrazu, 21, 25-39.
Strumińska-Doktór, A. and Jagodzińska, M. (2018). Edukacja leśna wsparciem kształcenia szkolnego [Forest schooling as a supplement to school education]. Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae, 16(4), 67-76. https://doi.org/10.21697/seb.2018.16.4.07.
Szast, M. and Pietrzykowski, M. (2025). Postrzeganie zawodu leśnika we współczesnym społeczeństwie [Perception of the forestry profession in the contemporary society]. Kultura i Edukacja, 3(149), 87-104. https://doi.org/10.15804/kie.2025.03.06.
Von Elm, E., Altman, D.G., Egger, M., Pocock, S.J., Gřtzsche, P.C. and Vandenbroucke, J.P. (2007). Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) statement: Guidelines for reporting observational studies. BMJ, 335(7624), 806-808.
Weber, M. (1917). Wissenschaft als Beruf. Available from: https://www.wisdom.weizmann.ac.il/~oded/X/WeberScienceVocation.pdf.
Wierzbicka, A. and Koper-Staszowska, W. (2024). Needs of selected social groups related to forests in the Upper Silesian Conurbation. Sylwan, 168(10), 703-716. https://doi.org/10.26202/sylwan.2024014.
Wiktorski, T. and Dorozińska, M. (2024). „Co z tymi lasami?”: Wyniki badania opinii społecznej na temat lasu, gospodarki leśnej i wyrobów z drewna. Sopot: Agencja Badawcza PBS Sp. z o.o. Available from: https://kig.pl/wp-content/
uploads/2025/01/Raport-_Co-_z-_tymi-_Lasami_badania-spoleczne-20250121.pdf.
Yang, Y. and Land, K.C. (2008). Analiza wieku, okresu i kohorty w powtarzanych badaniach przekrojowych: efekty stałe czy losowe? Sociological Methods and Research, 36(3): 297-326. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124106292360.
Zibtseva, O. (2023). What affects the choice of forestry profession by Ukrainian students? Folia Forestalia Polonica, Series A – Forestry, 65(3), 166-172. https://doi.org/10.2478/ffp-2023-0016.