Israel af Ström (5 September 1778 – 24 October 1856) was a Swedish botanist and forestry researcher. He introduced systematic forest management in Sweden and initiated the founding the Swedish National Forest Institute.[1]
Israel Adolf Ström was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He was the son of Erland Ström (1736 – 1806) and his wife Juliana Schröder (1752 – 1833). His father was the inspector for the Royal Djurgården. He was enrolled at Uppsala University in 1789.[2]
Between 1820 and 1850 he was curator of the Royal Djurgården. In 1828, Israel af Ström initiated the founding the National Forest Institute (Skogsinstitutet) which in 1915 was made into a college (Skogshögskolan) and in 1977 became part of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. He was elected in 1838 as member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.[3] [4]
Ström wrote the main textbook about forestry in Sweden entitled Förslag till en Förbättrad Skogshushållning i Sverige (1822). It was the only Swedish book on the subject for over 100 years.[5]