With just six places left, interested people should move fast to book for the JW Gottstein Trust’s Understanding Forest Science course in Coffs Harbour on the NSW mid-north coast from July 16 to 21.
“A group of experts will deliver some outstanding presentations,” course convenor Helen Murray said.
Wherever they work, wherever they come from, course participants can be assured of gaining a contemporary grasp on key aspects of forest science,” Ms Murray said.
Highlights will include a presentation by Dr Christine Stone on the rapid development of new technology for forest monitoring and management. A Forest Australia NM Jolly Medallist, Dr Stone will pack years of research experience into her talk.
Highly-respected ecologist Dr Brad Law will discuss his research team’s ground-breaking acoustic koala population detection work in NSW forest areas.
Other interesting topics and sub-topics will be forest soils and water, biodiversity, native forest management, softwood and hardwood plantation management, farm forestry, indigenous partnerships, biosecurity, and the carbon equation of forests and wood products from certified sustainably managed forests.
The process of certification, which verifies sustainable forest management practices, and forest economics and investment also remain key program elements. The latter will be delivered by Rob de Fégely, a former president of Forestry Australia and also an NM Jolly Medallist.
Dr Steve Read from ABARES will explain Australia’s national and global reporting obligations and the State of the Forests Report.
“These involve rigorous data collection which has attracted little public attention until now,” Ms Murray said.
A special activity promises to be a two-hour Aboriginal cultural interpretative walk at Sealy’s Lookout at the Orara East state forest led by local Giingan Gumbaynggirr First Nation guides,” Ms Murray said.
The Gottstein course has proven to be a great way to learn a lot from leaders in their field in a compressed time.
“The networking is really valued by course participants and we always get positive feedback on how the Gottstein week has expanded people’s network of colleagues in the sector.”
The 2023 course program has a bigger emphasis on field activity with forestry experts leading tours through softwood plantations and native forests.
“Especially, there will be a tour of the Forestry Corporation of NSW’s Grafton seedling nursery which came into its own for restoration of forest areas after the mammoth 2019-20 bushfires,” Ms Murray said.
She expressed appreciation for the support of the Forestry Corporation in making the field trips possible adding, “participants will have plenty of opportunity to ask questions from the experts in the field on these very interesting field trips.”
The course celebration dinner on Thursday, July 20, will be hosted by the Gottstein Trust chair Suzette Weeding.
Course attendees, presenters and other guests will have the opportunity to hear from dinner speaker Gottstein Fellow Jason Ross, Wood Central publisher, about his recently finalised fellowship project, which explores the relationship between forestry science, sustainable forest management principles, and the perceptions of local forestry among Australian audiences.
- To find out more, email team@gottsteintrust.org
