Temelji moderne šumarske znanosti i struke u Hrvatskoj (preporodno razdoblje) postavljeni su tijekom 19. stoljeća. U relativno kratkom vremenu tijekom druge polovine 19. stoljeća osnovano je Hrvatsko-slavonsko šumarsko društvo (1846), pokrenut je Šumarski list (1877), osnovano Gospodarsko-šumarskog učilišta u Križevcima (1860), usvojen Zakon o šumama za cijelu Austro-Ugarsku Monarhiju (1852), proveden „Zakon o imovnih općina u hrvatskoj i slavonskoj vojnoj Krajini“ (1873) i započela je s radom Šumarska akademija na Sveučilištu u Zagrebu (1898). Razdoblje je obilježeno i pojavom većeg broja stručno obrazovanih šumarskih stručnjaka koji su višu i visoku šumarsku naobrazbu stjecali u šumarskim učilištima u Hrvatskoj (Križevci) ili drugim europskim centrima. Među njima posebno se ističe Antun (Ante) Tomić rođen 1803. godine u Vinkovcima čije je djelovanje obilježilo sve nabrojane događaje u 19. stoljeću, a važne za hrvatsko šumarstvo. Iako se o djelovanju Antuna Tomića već pisalo i ranije (npr. Nenadić, Kerstenčanek, Piškorić i drugi) 220 godišnjica njegova rođenja dobar je povod za osvježiti sjećanje na Tomićev doprinos šumarskoj struci i hrvatskoj domovini. Prema tome cilj u ovom radu je prikazati Tomićevo djelovanje u kontekstu suvremenih izazova šumarske znanosti i struke. Antun Tomić završio je trogodišnje obrazovanje u Mariabrunnskom (Beč) šumarskom učilištu te je nakon vježbeništva obavljao odgovorne funkcije carsko-kraljevskog nadšumara u nizu pukovnija Vojne krajine. Paralelno se bavio znanstvenim radom te je iznio niz promišljanja o normalnoj drvnoj zalihi, razvoju šuma, modela uređivanja šuma i osiguranju potrajnosti šuma. Autor je organizacijskih reformi u šumarstvu Vojne krajine („Naputku za izlučenje imovno-obćinskih šuma u Krajini“ iz 1871. godine), osnivač i prvi predsjednik Hrvatskog šumarskog društva te vrstan šumarski stručnjak i znanstvenik koji svoje opsežno radno iskustvo pretače u primjenjive znanstvene radove iz gotovo svih područja šumarstva. Poveznica u svim radovima je očuvanje šuma te uspostava normaliteta i kroz normalitet potrajnost gospodarenja. Pri tome istančan Tomićev osjećaj za prirodnost očituje se u traženju preciznije prostorne stratifikacije šuma, preciznijeg utvrđivanja prirasta šume, fleksibilnijeg definiranja etata, većeg ulaganja u zaštitu i njegu šuma (posebno na narušenom (npr. krškom) staništu, a sve u cilju osiguranja potrajnosti gospodarenja šumama. Tomić sve nabrojane postavke uokviruje u svoju racionalnu metodu uređivanja šuma, tada vrlo naprednu kombiniranu metodu koja uvažava stvarno stanje i mogućnosti šuma. Pogledi Antuna Tomića na šumarstvo u temeljima su suvremene hrvatske šumarske struke, a težnja za uspostavom prostorno-vremenskog i strukturnog normaliteta šuma, time i potrajnost gospodarenja njima, trajan su izazov i cilj. The foundations of modern forest science and practice in Croatia (revival period) were laid during the 19th century. In a relatively short time during the second half of the 19th century, the Croatian-Slavonic Forestry Society was founded (1846), the Forestry Journal was launched (1877), the Economic Forestry School in Križevci was established (1860), the Forestry Act was adopted for the whole Austro- Hungarian Monarchy (1852), the "Act on Property Municipalities in the Croatian and Slavonic Military Krajina" was implemented (1873) and the work of the Forestry Academy at the University of Zagreb began (1898). The period was also marked by the appearance of many professionally educated forestry experts who received higher education in forestry schools in Croatia (Križevci) or other European centres. Among others, Antun (Ante) Tomić, born in 1803 in Vinkovci, played an outstanding role. His activities marked all the listed events, important for Croatian forestry in the 19th century. Although about Ante Tomić's work it has been written before (e.g. Nenadić, Kerstenčanek, Piškorić and others), the 220th anniversary of his birth is a good incentive to refresh the memory of Tomić's contribution to the forestry profession and to the Croatian homeland. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to present Tomić's activities in the context of contemporary challenges of forestry science and profession. Antun Tomić completed a three-year education at the Mariabrunn (Vienna) Forestry College in 1824, and after his internship, he held the responsible functions as the Imperial-Royal Chief Forester in a number of regiments of the Military Frontier. At the same time, he engaged in scientific work and presented a series of reflections on normal growing stock, forest development, forest management models and ensuring the sustainability of forests. He is the author of the organizational reforms in the forestry of the Military Frontier ("Instructions for the demarcation of estate-community forests in the Krajina" from 1871), the founder and the first president of the Croatian Forestry Society, and an excellent forestry scientist who translated his extensive work experience into applicable scientific works from almost all forestry disciplines. The common feature in all his works is the forests conservation and the establishment of normality, and through normality reaching sustainable management. At the same time, Tomić's keen sense for close-to-nature forestry is manifested in the search for a more precise spatial stratification of forests, more precise forest growth measurement, more flexible definition of allowed harvest volume, greater investment in the conservation and care of forests (especially in disturbed (e.g. karst) habitats). All those ideas, aimed at ensuring the sustainable management of Croatian forests, Tomić framed in his rational method of forest management, which was a very advanced combined method that takes the actual condition and possibilities of forests into account. Antun Tomić's views on forestry are the foundations of the modern Croatian forestry profession, and the aspiration to establish the spatiotemporal and structural normality of forests. Therefore, the sustainability of forest management stays a permanent challenge and goal.