Chair of Forest Entomology and Protection

Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources

Chair of Forest Entomology and Forest Protection

Abkürzung der Fakultät für Umwelt und Natürliche Ressourcen "unr" in der Farbe sand auf grünem, kreisförmigen Hintergrund

We are working on a better understanding of the ecology and evolution of forest insects in order to maintain the ecological and forest ecosystem services of our forests in the long term. Our professorship is located in Stegen-Wittental, on the edge of the Dreisamtal valley, about 10 km east of Freiburg. Here we have several buildings, including greenhouses and laboratories, as well as a large open space – ideal conditions for learning, teaching and research.

News

Paulina Steinhilber working on her MSc thesis project

MSc thesis on Ragweed gall midge Lasioptera rubi

Congratulations to Paulina Steinhilber on receiving funding from the Georg Ludwig Hartig Foundation!

We congratulate Paulina Steinhilber on receiving funding from the Georg Ludwig Hartig Foundation! In her Master’s thesis at the University of Freiburg, she is investigating the fungal communities in galls of the ragweed gall midge Lasioptera rubi on raspberries and blackberries.

5th anniversary of our professorship

Lively interest in the open day

On 22 March 2025, the Chair of Forest Entomology and Forest Conservation hosted an open day to mark its fifth anniversary. What happens in the yellow villa on the edge of the forest in Wittental and in the associated greenhouses and laboratories? What is researched here and what are the changes to the site all about? These and other questions attracted numerous interested visitors on Saturday afternoon.

Thesis on the ambrosia beetle Platypus cylindrus

Renowned Scientific Award for a Thesis on the Oak Pinhole Borer

Marcel Hugo Decker has been awarded the prestigious Förderpreis der Ingrid Weiss / Horst Wiehe Stiftung for his thesis titled „Eine Übersicht zur Biologie, entopischen Historie und Waldschutzsituation des Ambrosiakäfers Platypus cylindrus (Fabricius, 1792) (Eichenkernkäfer) sowie einer experimentellen Untersuchung seiner Pilzsymbionten auf autochthonen und allochthonen Holzsubstraten.” The award is presented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für allgemeine und angewandte Entomologie (DGaaE) for an outstanding scientific work on a purely entomological topic.

Research

Our research focus and current projects

Teaching

Our range of courses and information about theses

Publications

Overview of our publications, conference presentations, articles in the media and more

Exploratorium Vibrant Wittental

Students, together with teachers and members of the public, use the large site of our chair for hands-on biodiversity education.

Learn more

Student shows visitors the habitats for amphibians