Forestry Australia is celebrating its scholarship recipients while calling for a shared Australian vision about forest management.
The Forestry Australia organisation said “active and adaptive” forest management and an increased integration of Indigenous knowledge with western scientific evidence and technologies was key to restoring and maintaining the health of Australian forests – some of which are in Moorabool.
Forestry Australia vice president Dr Michelle Freeman said there was an urgent need for a new shared vision about Australian forest management.
“After what we’ve seen in past summers, and what we know is to come, reducing the potential for catastrophic bushfires across all types of forest and increasing the resilience of forests to climate change should be top of the list for Australia as a nation,” Dr Freeman said.
One of the methods to share ideas was the Forestry Australia conference.
Forestry Australia president Bob Gordon said in addition to having speakers for a wide range of topics, a conference highlight was the presentation of certificates to Future Foresters Initiative Scholarship recipients.
The scholarship program was funded by the DAWE Leadership Grant and supported 21 future foresters to participate in the conference in person or online.
Mr Gordon said one of the featured speakers was set to inspire the recipients.
“It was great to hear from the [Forestry assistant Minister] about the government’s recognition of the vital role forest scientists, growers and professionals play in informing policy decisions to ensure our forests can continue to deliver the greatest benefit to society,” he said.
