The first edition was published in the middle of the 19th century under the name Statistical-Topographical Description of the Kingdom of Denmark.
The sixth edition, in the form of 34 volumes, 12,000 printed pages and a digital edition, has Niels Elers Koch at the helm.
The volumes on Vejen, Kolding, Haderslev, Tønder, Aabenraa and Sønderborg were recently published. This summer it applies to Funen, Langeland and Ærø.
Niels Elers Koch, who turns 70 on 31 March, came to Trap Denmark from a scientific career in forest and landscape research. Most recently as professor at and head of the Department of Geosciences and Nature Management at the University of Copenhagen.
In total, it has been almost 30 years of research under four different ministries, three different board chairmen and three different rectors / deans.
It has led to two honorary doctorates, two honorary professorships, international scientific awards and a myriad of publications.
Mostly based on trees and nature management. Niels Elers Koch’s doctoral dissertation from 1995 focused on the importance of the forest for outdoor life.
In the years that followed, he was employed by the Danish Forest and Nature Agency, until in 2004 he became director of the National Center for Forest, Landscape and Planning at the University of Copenhagen.
In addition, chairman of the Forest Council – appointed by the former Conservative Minister of the Environment Connie Hedegaard.
Niels Elers Koch grew up in Aarhus and has said that his interest in nature was founded during his years as a scout. But also a biology and geography teacher at Aarhus Cathedral School became important for him choosing the forest road instead of becoming a doctor like his father.
Niels Elers Koch is the father of 18-year-old Mads Christian. Together they share an interest in running, cycling and kayaking. Either in Skodsborg north of Copenhagen, where they live in a self-built wooden house, or in the holiday home in Småland.
Wherever they are, the forest matters:
– When I’m stressed, I run for a walk. And when I am depressed, I sit on a tree trunk and think things through. For me, the forest is also equal to silence and tranquility, Niels Elers Koch has told Aarhus Stiftstidende.
From 2010 to 2014, he was president of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), which represents well over 15,000 researchers from 125 countries.
Source: The Nordic Page