What is the future for our forests?

The changing condition of our forests and how to best manage them will be examined in the second of the Science Conversation Series seminars for 2009.

Hosted by Southern Cross University’s School of Environmental Science and Management, the seminar will be presented by Associate Professor Doland Nichols at the Byron Community and Cultural Centre in Byron Bay on Thursday July 9 from 6pm-7.30pm.

Professor Nichols said our forests had been subjected to large changes in ownership, regulation and management over the past several decades.

“We all consume large amounts of wood products, so it is important we are well informed and properly understand where our timber comes from – but there are many issues to consider,” said Professor Nichols.

“For example, because of the energy intensive methods used to cultivate fast growing plantations, it might be said that they are not as carbon friendly as many people think, particularly if the trees are harvested after a short rotation.

“Another popular view is that native forests should not be harvested for timber, but if this is the case, how can we meet the demand for hardwood without turning to illegal imports of timber from unmanaged forests overseas? How can we protect wildlife and discourage loss of carbon into the atmosphere, while meeting the demand for wood products?

Other questions might be: what should our burning and fire management policies be? Can we rely on eucalypt plantations for domestic supply?

“This talk will explore these questions, look at how our forests are currently managed and examine what the prospects for the future are.”

Southern Cross University’s Bachelor of Forest Science and Management is the largest undergraduate forestry course in Australia.

Professor Nichols is an academic specialising in sustainable forestry and has carried out research on tropical and subtropical forest ecology and management, mixed-species plantations, forest entomology and forest health in Costa Rica, Ghana, Vanuatu and Australia.

The free seminar, ‘The changing condition of forests in northern NSW: are we headed in the right direction?’ will be held on Thursday July 9 at the Byron Community and Cultural Centre, 69 Jonson Street, Byron Bay from 6pm-7.30pm. To attend, RSVP to esm@scu.edu.au or call 02 6620 3650.

Photo: Associate Professor Doland Nichols (high resolution image available on request)