Endel Laas (29 August 1915 in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...

– 1 November 2009) was an

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...

and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

. Laas specialised in

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

and taught at the University of Life Sciences for many years. In 1999 he was awarded the

Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star ( et, Valgetähe teenetemärk; french: Ordre de l'Etoile Blanche) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic ...

, third class.

Life and career

Endel Laas was born on 29 August 1915 in

as the ninth child in the family. His father had earlier been a

coachman A coachman is an employee who drives a coach or carriage, a horse-drawn vehicle designed for the conveyance of passengers. A coachman has also been called a coachee, coachy, whip, or hackman. The coachman's first concern is to remain in full c ...

, but at that time he served as the

tea house A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment whic ...

and restaurant keeper. 1916−1924 the family lived in Kvissental near Tartu, but from 1930 inside Tartu. Endel first attended the Tartu IV elementary school in 1926. Between 1930 and 1935 Laas studied at the Tartu Boys' Gymnasium. That was followed by a military service at the

Kuperjanov Battalion The Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion ( et, Kuperjanovi jalaväepataljon) is a battalion of the Estonian Land Forces. It is a part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade. Battalion headquarters is at Taara Army Base, Võru. History Estonian War of Independenc ...

and the

Tondi military school The Estonian Military Academy ( et, Kaitseväe Akadeemia) is an institution of applied higher education for national defence in Tartu, Estonia. The institutions mission is to train and educate regular officers for the Estonian Defence Forces ...

, which he graduated the Forestry Division of the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

, ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

''. 1940–1941 he worked as a

forester A forester is a person who practises forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including ecological restoration and management of protected areas. Foresters manage forests to ...

, east of the

Narva River The river Narva ( et, Narva jõgi; russian: Нарва), formerly also Narova flows north into the Baltic Sea and is the largest Estonian river by discharge. A similar length of land far to the south, together with it and a much longer interm ...

. During the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, in 1941 Laas was mobilized to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

. After the war Laas continued his career as a scientist. In 1946 he became a lecturer at the University of Tartu, from 1951 he continued the job at the separated

Estonian Agricultural Academy The Estonian University of Life Sciences (Estonian: ''Eesti Maaülikool'', EMÜ) located in Tartu, Estonia, is the former Estonian Agricultural University, which was established in 1951 and renamed and restructured in November 2005. Eesti Maaül ...

. In 1976 he became a professor and between 1960 and 1985 he served as the Dean of the Forestry and Land Reclamation Faculty. In the end of the Soviet reign in Estonia, Laas was one of the reestablishers of the

Student Society Liivika Student Society Liivika ( et, ÜS Liivika) is an Estonian student society. Established on April 21, 1909 in Riga, Latvia, mostly by former members of student corporation Vironia. The original name was Estonian Students' Society of Riga ( et, Riia ...

in 1990. Laas died on 1 November 2009 at the age of 94. Endel Laas's son, Eino-Endel Laas (born on July 4, 1942), is also a forest researcher and teaches in Estonian University of Life Sciences. He received the Order of the White Star, fifth class, in 2016.Järvseljal tähistati professor Endel Laasi 100. sünniaastapäeva
SA Järvselja Õppe- ja Katsemetskond 26. sept 2015
Maamajanduse võtmeisikudMida uurivad Eesti teadlased, kellele president teenetemärgi annab?
ERR 04.02.2016

References

1915 births 2009 deaths Estonian scientists Forestry academics Estonian foresters People from Tartu University of Tartu alumni Estonian University of Life Sciences faculty Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 3rd Class Soviet scientists {{forestry-researcher-stub