About Celso Foelkel
Celso Edmundo Bochetti Foelkel was born in 1948 in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 1967, he started, when university student, to work in developing studies to the forest-based sector, as trainee at the Pulp and Paper Laboratories of the College of Agriculture “Luiz de Queiroz”, University of Sao Paulo. In 1970, he graduated as agronomist with major in silviculture, forestry and forest products at the same university. He continued his studies at the State University of New York and Syracuse University in Syracuse / NY / USA, where received his Master of Sciences degree in Paper Science Engineering, in 1974. In 1997, he was honored with the title of “Doctor Honoris Causa” by the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) for his relevant contributions to the Brazilian forestry and pulp and paper segments.
In 1974, Foelkel began his professional career as professor of pulp and paper technology at the College of Agriculture “Luiz de Queiroz” (ESALQ/USP). From 1976 to 1979, he worked as manager of quality, research and environmental issues for Celulose Nipo Brasileira, a market pulp mill in Minas Gerais, Brazil. At the same time, he acted as visiting professor in the Federal University of Vicosa (UFV). In this university, he was directly responsible for the creation of a master graduate course in pulp and paper technology, a successful program until today in that educational institution. From 1979 to 1998, Foelkel worked as manager, and later director of quality, research and environment, at Riocell, another market pulp mill in South Brazil. From 1990 to the year 2000, he acted as visiting professor at Federal University of Santa Maria, teaching graduated courses in the areas of wood, pulp, paper and environmental technologies.
In 1998, Foelkel started as an entrepreneur in knowledge-related business, with his own company Celsius Degree / Grau Celsius.
Foelkel has a vast career as the author of hundreds of technical and scientific papers on his websites and on journals, magazines, books and congresses, both in Brazil and internationally. In terms of attending congresses, courses, events and conferences, there were over 600 throughout his career, most of them as speaker or lecturer. Foelkel has also been very active in national and international institutional and technical associations, having been or acting as member in over 40 of them, related to forestry, business, pulp/paper, environment, quality, technology management, innovation, competitiveness and business management.
Foelkel has also been heavily involved in environmental issues in the pulp and paper sector, in several Latin American countries, such Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru and Colombia. His very dedicated work in the forest, wood, pulp and paper sectors has been recognized, mainly for his characteristic of acting with focus on competitiveness, clean technologies, ecoefficiency and knowledge transfer.
One of his main vocations is teaching courses at graduate levels, what happened in seven Brazilian universities throughout his career, most of the time on a voluntary basis.
Currently, Foelkel has been dedicated in promoting, disseminating, sharing and clarifying to all interested parties about the utilizations of Eucalyptus and Pinus: their trees, forests, woods, fibers, papers, and other forest related products. To perform with these challenges, he created and is able to offer free of charge to thousands of readers the editions of his digital publications Eucalyptus Online Book & Newsletter and PinusLetter, through his own websites www.celso-foelkel.com.br and www.eucalyptus.com.br. In these two websites, the objectives are to widely offer and to promote and disseminate knowledge and arguments for the activities related to planted forests and the production of pulp and paper to be environmentally correct, socially fair and economically viable, as well as admired by society.