First teachers
February 14 2025Bernard Lorentz was the first director of the École forestière de Nancy, taking up his post on January 1st, 1825.
As soon as he took office on January 1st, 1825, he set about putting together a teaching team to teach the subjects on the proposed curriculum within the institution:
- forestry economics,
- forestry,
- law,
- natural sciences,
- mathematics,
- drawing,
- German.
Bernard Lorentz himself gave the first courses in forest economics, followed by Adolphe Parade, considered one of the fathers of modern forestry at the Forestry School. Over the years, other figures enriched this discipline: Henri Nanquette, Gustave Bagneris, Lucien Boppe, accompanied by their assistants.
Law, which became a separate subject in 1838, was taught by iconic professors such as Édouard Meaume, Alfred Puton and Charles Guyot.
For natural sciences, the naturalist Jean-Baptiste Mougeot having declined the offer, it was not until 1838 that Antoine-Auguste Mathieu, a former student, held the post for 42 years, before leaving his place to Paul Fliche and Edmond Henry.
Other subjects also benefited from renowned teachers: Émile-Emmanuel Regneault in mathematics, Paul Laurent for drawing and construction classes, Jules Gerschel for teaching German and Louis Grandeau, dean of the Faculty of Science, who taught agriculture from 1871 to 1889.
In the end, it was just twenty or so teachers who laid the foundations for forestry education, enabling it to develop and acquire the scope it would know throughout the 20th century.