The only forestry school in Estonia is situated in the middle of forest.
Heavily forested Estonia (almost half of the country is covered in woodlands) has always valued foresters and their work. No wonder that for decades foresters have been educated here.
Estonias only vocational forestry school is located in the woods – away from the crowds and noise, in Jõgeva county forests, in a small village called Luua.
If you would come to Luua village on a usual weekday morning, it may appear as a typical Estonian village, since there are very few people to be seen. However, if you observe the people more closely you may notice the number of youngsters among them. That is no surprise – there are about 300 inhabitants in the village, but the number of students in the school is almost 500. This is why Luua is like a wonderland – the school inside the small village is bigger than the village itself!
Pupils from all over Estonia come to gain knowledge in Luua Forestry School. Many of them are from rural areas and have already prior connections in family to their chosen specialty. It is no surprise there are many students, whose parents and grandparents have studied at the same school and hopefully, their children and grandchildren will choose the same path.
Assuming that the students disappear between the forests like a black hole is wrong. A close cooperation is taking place at international level in all specialties. Students from all three study fields are participating in different International projects and professional competitions. It is not unusual to hear Latvian, Finnish, Swedish, English and other languages in Luua village. As often as our students go abroad, Luua Forestry School hosts foreign visitors.
Cooperation with various international organizations opens up a lot of opportunities for our students, but also requires a lot of effort. That is why for example our logging team competitors are practicing intensively this spring – the European Youth Championships in Forestry, organized by EUROPEA International, in Hungary are waiting. We have been involved in this competition for many years and so far our students have been quite successful. This year there is another target for the young logging athletes – the 33rd World Logging Championship is taking place in Norway, and one junior competitor is included in the national team.
Katri Ahtijäinen
Luus Forestry School
