Autor opisuje životni put, stručne i znanstvene uspjehe sveučilišnog profesora dr. se. Josipa Balena, dipl. inž. šumarstva, rođenog u Krmpotama, kotar Novi Vinodolski, a pokopanog u Tukumanu u Argentini. Bogati i plodni stručni i znanstveni put Josipa Balena vezan je uz šumu i šumarstvo s posebnim naglaskom na znanstveni, stručni i sveučilišni nastavni rad. Studij šumarstva završava u Banskoj Šćavnici (Slovačka), radi po različitim šumarijama diljem Hrvatske, a 1919. postaje upravitelj Nadzorništva za pošumljavanje krša u Senju. Radi na doktorskoj disertaciji vezanoj za uzgojne i ekološke probleme krša te je 1923. godine na Gospodarsko-šumarskom fakultetu Sveučilišta u Zagrebu obranio disertaciju pod naslovom Bura i njezino značenje za pošumljavanje krša. To je prva obranjena disertacija iz područja šumarstva na Sveučilištu u Zagrebu. Godine 1935. premješten je u Beograd u Ministarstvo šuma i rada, 1927. postaje izvanredni profesor, a 1930. redoviti profesor na zemunskom Šumarskom fakultetu, na Katedri za Podizanje i gajenje šuma i Zaštitu šuma. Istodobno objavljuje velik broj stručnih i znanstvenih radova, pretežno o uzgajanju šuma, te šest samostalnih knjiga, od kojih posebno ističemo značajna djela O proredama, 1929. g. Naš goli krš 1931. g., Šumski rasadnici 1938. g. i dr. Osnivanjem NDH imenovanje 1941. savjetnikom u Ministarstvu bogoštovlja i nastave, nakon toga postaje župan županstva pri Poglavniku, redoviti profesor na Poljodjelsko-šumarskom fakultetu u Zagrebu, nadstojnik Zavoda za obranu šuma, zatim ministar u Ministarstvu narodnog gospodarstva, a nakon toga ministar šuma i ruda. Kao i mnoge Hrvate, ratni vihor nosi ga u Argentinu zajedno s još 12 hrvatskih šumarskih stručnjaka. Zapošljava se kao tehnički savjetnik u Ravnateljstvu šuma, organizira i izvodi pošumljavanja eukaliptusima i topolama na 50.000 ha površine. Godine 1956. odlazi u Čile i postaje profesor uzgajanja šuma i šumarske politike na novootvorenom Šumarskom fakultetu u Valdiviji, direktor Šumarskog instituta u istom gradu, Godine 1960. vraća se u Argentinu kao profesor uzgajanja šuma na fakultetu u Santiago de Estero, Universitat Nacional de Cordoba. Godine 1960. osniva prvi samostalni šumarski fakultet u Tukumanu, gdje je i profesor na Katedri za pošumljavanje, a nakon toga osniva Šumarski institut za pošumljavanje gdje je postavljen za direktora. Umire 1964. godine, a pokopan je uz velike počasti u Tucumanu. Josip Balen daoje velik doprinos razvoju šumarske struke, znanosti i nastave i u Hrvatskoj i u Argentini i Čileu. Uvjereni smo da bi njegov doprinos hrvatskom i svjetskom šumarstvu bio još veći da nije nasilno otrgnut i prognan iz domovine Hrvatske.The author deals with the life history of prof. dr. se. Josip Balen, his successful professional and scientific career as the University professor and forestory engineer. He was born at Krmpote, county of Novi Vinodolski, and buried at Tucuman, Argentina. The rich and prolific professional and scientific course of Josip Balen was bound to the woods and forestry with the special accent to his scientific, professional and educational work on the University. He graduated his studies on forestry at Banska Šćavnica (Slovakia), worked in various forestry administrations all over Croatia to become in 1919 director of the Inspectorate for the afforestation of karst at Senj. His doctor\u27s dissertation on the cultivation and ecological problems of the karst entitled "Bora and its importance in the afforestation of the Karst", was successfully defended at the Faculty of Forestry, the University of Zagreb, in 1923. It was the first dissertation from the sphere of forestry defended at the University of Zagreb. In 1925 he was transferred to Belgrade at the Ministry of forestry and ores. In 1927 he became the associate professor and in 1930 professor at the Faculty of Forestry, Dept. for growing and cultivation and protection of woods at Zemun. At the same time he published a great number of his professional and scientific works mainly on the cultivation of forests, then six autonomous books of which some of his important works have to be pointed out. Those were "On thins" (1919), "Our bare karst" (1931), "Forestry workers" (1938). After the Indipendent State of Croatia (NDH) was established, he was appointed the counsellor to the Ministry of religious observance and educational system. Afterwards he was appointed a district prefect at the district office about Poglavnik, then the professor at the Faculty of the agriculture and forestry at Zagreb. He was also acting as a director of the Institute for the protection of forests, then held the office of minister at the Ministry for the national economics and after that was appointed the minister of forests and ores. The storms of war took him together with some twelve Croatian forest experts and a lot of other Croatians to Argentina. He assumed there a post of a technical councellor in the Directorate of forests, where he organized and carried through the afforestation with eucalyptuses and poplars on the area of some 50.000 h. In 1956. he was transferred to Chile where he was employed as a professor for the cultivation of forests at a newly opened Faculty of forestry at Valdivia and also as a director of the Forest Insitute at the same city. In 1960 he came back to Argentina and worked as a professor for the cultivation of forests at Faculty of Santiago de Estero, Universitat Nacional de Cordoba. In the same year he founded the first indipendent Faculty of forestry at Tucuman and assumed there a post of the professor at Department for the afforestation. Afterwards he founded also the Forest institute for the afforestation, where he acted as a director. He died in 1964 and was buried with great honours at Tucuman. The contribution of Josip Balen in the development of the forest profession, science and school system, not only in Croatia but in Argentina and Chile as well, was really great. We are quite sure that his contribution to the Croatian and world-wide forestry would be even greater if he was not so violently expelled from his native country Croatia.Der Autor beschreibt den Lebensweg un die professionellen und wissenschaftlichen Erfolge des diplomierten Forstwirtes und Universitätsprofessors Josip Balen, der in Krmpote geboren (Bezirk Novi Vinodolski) und in Tukuman (Argentinien) begraben wurde. Sein fruchtbarer und wissenschaftlicher Weg war mit dem Wald und Forstwesen gebunden, mit besonderem Akzent auf der wissenschaftlichen, profesionellen und pädagogischen Tätigkeit an der Universität. Das Studium der Forstkunde beendete er in Banska Sćavnica in Slowakei, und arbeitete danach in verschiedenen Forstämten Kroatiens. 1919 wurde er Leiter der Verwaltung fiir Bewaldung des Karstes. Seine an der Forstwirtschaftlichen Universität in Zagreb verteidigte Dissertation unter dem Titel "Bora und ihre Bedeutung fiir die Bewaldung des Karstes" war die erste Dissertation die an der Universität in Zagreb aus dem Gebiet des Forstwesens verteidigt wurde. 1935 wurde er aus Zagreb in Beograd, in das Ministerium für Wälder und Erzen versetzt, 1927 wurde er ausserordentlicher und 1930 ordentlicher Professor an der Forstwirtschaftlichen Fakultät in Zemun, an der Stuhl fiir Zucht und Schutz der Wälder. Zu gleicher Zeit veröffentlichte er viele profesionelle und wissenschaftliche Werke aus der Waldzucht und sechs selbstständige Biicher: "Zur Lichtung der Wälder" 1929, "Unser Karst" 1931, "Pflanzstätte in den Wäldern" 1938 u.a. Als der unabhängige Staat Kroatien begriindet wurde, wurde er zum Rat im Ministerium fiir Kultus und Unterricht ernannt, danach wurde er Gespann der Gespannschaft bei dem "Poglavnik", ordentlicher Professor an der Universität für Bodenkultur und Forstwesen, Leiter der Anstalt fur den Waldbau, Minister im Volkswirschaftsministerium und Minister fiir Walder und Erzen. Wie viele andere Kroaten, emigrierte er zusammen mit 12 kroatischen Fachförstern nach Argentinien. Dort wurde er technischer Rat in der Direktion der Wälder und organisierte die Bewaldung mit Eukalypten und Pappelbäumen auf der Oberfläche von 50.000 ha. Im Jahre 1956 zog er nach Chile fort, wo er Professor an der Universität in Santiago da Estero wurde. 1960 begrtindete er den ersten Institut fiir die Bewaldung, wo er zum Leiter ernannt wurde. Er starb 1964 und wurde in Tukuman mit großer Ehre begraben. Josip Balen gab großen Beitrag zur Entwicklung der Forstkunde und der Forstunterricht in Kroatien, Argentinien und Chile. Wir sind iiberzeugt, dass sein Beitrag zur kroatischen und weltlichen Forstkunde noch größer ware, wenn er aus seiner Heimat nicht so zwangsweise vertrieben gewesen ware
