Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture has entered into a cooperative relationship with the Jilin Provincial Academy of Forestry Sciences located in China’s Jilin Province. The partnership will focus on advancing forest health through collaborative research that involves student and faculty exchanges between the two institutions. Pictured, Dr. Zhang Jianqiu, president of the Jilin Provincial Academy of Forestry Sciences, seated left, signs the cooperative agreement with Dr. Baker Pattillo, president of SFA. Standing from left are Dr. Matthew McBroom, associate dean of SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture; Dr. Hans Williams, dean of the college; and Dr. Steve Bullard, provost and vice president for academic affairs at SFA.
Dr. Zhang Jianqiu, president of the Jilin Provincial Academy of Forestry Sciences, said his primary goal is to complete collaborative research that focuses on tree improvement, tree physiology, biotechnology and wildlife management.
Much of this research will be accomplished through student and professor exchanges between the two institutions.
“The agricultural and forest resources issues facing Jilin Province are very similar to our own,” said Dr. Hans Williams, dean of SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. “Through collaboration with colleagues at the Jilin Provincial Academy of Forestry Science, we can discover mutually beneficial solutions to these challenges, as well as learn from each other through cultural exchange.”
Dr. Yuhui Weng, assistant professor of forest biometrics at SFA, facilitated the partnership.
The Jilin Provincial Academy of Forestry was established in 1956 as the province’s only multidisciplinary forest research institute and maintains four research institutes that focus on forestry, timber, natural resources and protection, forest biotechnology, and remote-sensing applications.
Story submitted by Sarah Fuller, outreach coordinator at Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture.
