The Understanding Forest Science
Course is usually held every second year to complement the popular Understanding Wood
Science Course.
The use of wood as a material is
increasingly diverse. It is a material that has unique natural qualities and is
renewable – the forest carbon cycle has been studied and sustainable harvesting
of timber from authorised forest areas and plantations is carbon positive.
Along with strong demand for timber derived products in preference to less
carbon emission friendly materials like concrete and steel – there is also a
close link with growing demand for timber as the housing and construction
industry works to fill Australia’s housing requirements.
The Australian and international
forest industry has undergone quite rapid change in recent decades. There is extreme
supply pressure in many regions because the area of natural forest and
plantation grown timbers that are authorised for sustainable harvesting in many
parts of Australia is shrinking – while population needs for housing keep
growing and paper products (from wood fibre) are in preferred as a
biodegradable natural material to replace plastics (straws, food packaging for
example).
Australia is not self-sufficient for
its own timber resource needs and thus continues to import more timber and
timber products, from other countries just to meet domestic needs. This is an issue of immense concern to this
innovative and sustainable industry. With long lead times to grow a crop of
trees very few investors have access to patient capital to fund new plantations
until a return is made with the main harvest. Natural forest regions are
unfortunately a subject of intense political activism in some regions. In light
of so many factors, including optimal utilisation of all timber fibre
(including lower value offcuts, sawdust and woodchip by-products from
sawmilling) innovative ways of growing and utilising the world’s valuable
timber resources are constantly evolving.
This Gottstein Understanding Forest
Science Course of five days duration is planned to provide the basic science
and policy framework that applies to contemporary forest management in
Australia.
Objectives
This week long forest science course
provides an understanding of sustainable Australian forest management, the economics of growing timber for wood production and other forest services. The course covers both planted and
natural forests and provides an appreciation of environmental issues and
international strategic trends in the forestry industry.
Future courses
The next Understanding Forest Science Course is tentatively planned for Sunday 4 - Friday 9 June 2023.
Interested people for the next course are invited to send an email and ask to be on the
notification list about the next course.
Course Program
The last Understanding Forest Science Course, held at the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society in February 2019, was very successful. The 2019 course program can be viewed here.
Who Should Attend
The course is aimed at potential
managers, people who work in forest companies or organisations who are not
foresters, executives, non-executive directors, industry and government policy
people, service providers and consultants to the forest industry. The course is
of particular relevance to those who may have recently joined the industry and
may have little or no training in the science of forest management.
Why You Should Attend
A fuller understanding at a
professional level of forest science and management and its application in
Australia is essential if our industry is to achieve its full potential. This
course provides you with the understanding to improve your personal and
business performances and to view your operations within national and
international contexts.
In order to facilitate exchange and
discussion, the course is limited to a maximum of 35 participants. Early
booking is always advisable to avoid disappointment.
Quality Speakers
The 2019 forest science course
again featured guest speakers with very extensive experience in the industry –
as practitioners and also as researchers. The Gottstein Trust values the
generous donation of time which speakers give in order to help inform and
educate people about the sector.