The practical experience associated with multidisciplinarity results in the consolidation of theoretical knowledge acquired in the classroom. One of the ways to explore these concepts is through the Problem-Based Learning method, which consists of giving students the search for solving current problems related to the area and stimulates students in the development of creativity and entrepreneurship, indispensable skills for acting in the market. As a way to unite these themes within a traditional forest engineering course in Brazil, we will report on the formation and operation of the Forest Practices Group (GPFlor) of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco. The group is made up of students from all years of the course, who work voluntarily in activities divided into projects. The main projects are: “Forest Seedlings” which aims to produce seedlings for multipurpose forest plantations and restoration of degraded areas; “Rural Reforestation”, which aims to restore degraded areas around the university; “From the Forest”, with the objective of transforming trees into timber and non-timber products and the “Agroforestry” project that manages within the university an area of ​​agroforestry integration. With about a year of existence, the group has already provided practical experience and the search for forest problem solving to about 40 students (14% of the total enrolled students). In total, about 10,000 hours of hands-on activities have been completed. It is hoped that actions like this can in the long run be converted into benefits for society through better trained engineers.

05 - Grupo de Práticas Florestais da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco: um estudo de caso de aplicação do método de aprendizagem baseada em problemas na engenharia florestal