2014/15 IFA Annual Report - Institute of Foresters of Australia

Annual Report
2014/15
Institute of Foresters of Australia
Page 1
Contents
President’s message
Chief Executive Officer’s Report
2
4
1. About IFA
7
1.1
1.3
1.4
Mission Statement
Divisions
Secretariat
Foresters Without Borders
2. Divisional Reports
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
ACT Division
Victorian Division
NSW Division
West Australian Division
South Australian Division
Queensland Division
Tasmanian Division
3. Corporate Governance Activities
3.1
Extraordinary General Meeting 14 April 2015
8th ANZIF conference,
Conference resolutions
7
7
7
8
9
9
10
11
12
14
15
16
17
17
18
18
4. Membership
20
5. IFA Financial Report
21
Annual Financial Report
22
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Annual Report 2014/15
President’s message
It is my great pleasure to provide you with my Annual
Report for 2015. In particular I am pleased to report that
your Institute made a profit this year which is a significant
turnaround from our result in 2014. The main contributor to
this result was our very successful ANZIF Conference in April.
We still have more to do. In particular, we have to focus
on growing our membership not only to those working in
traditional forestry roles but to appeal to the wider range of
activities that foresters work in today such as urban forestry
and general natural resources management. We also
need to provide opportunities for continuing professional
development which will allow members to upgrade their skills in our ever changing
world.
The ANZIF Conference in Creswick was a highlight for the year and our theme “Beyond
Tenure – Managing Forests across the Landscape” seemed to resonate with everyone
who came. Many of whom were first time attendees at an IFA conference and I was
pleased to see the range of age groups and gender in attendance. The feedback was
positive and I would like to thank Professor Rod Keenan and his committee for the
great job they did in planning and organising such a successful conference. A particular
highlight for me was the urban forestry session which illustrated that despite the
different environments in which the trees are growing many of the issues confronted
by urban foresters are similar to the issues experienced by more traditional foresters.
The conference produced a number of resolutions including:
• Support for Indigenous Forest Management
• Forest Fire Management
• Carbon Forestry
• Foresters without Borders – assistance to Asia Pacific countries
• Integrating Forests and Agriculture
• Collaboration with the Duchy of Cornwall to enhance sustainable forestry
worldwide.
I would also like to thank the IFA members for their resounding support to change
our constitution at the extraordinary General Meeting held during the conference. In
essence we have moved to a skill based Board rather than a representative one which
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is in line with modern corporate governance. I am pleased to state the new Board has
enthusiastically taken up the challenge and each Board Member has taken on one of
the conference resolutions to ensure action and progress is made on each of them.
For example we are making great progress with our Foresters without Borders
initiative and our fund raising at the conference is being put to constructive use in
Vanuatu following the devastation caused by Cyclone Pam earlier this year. We have an
energetic group led by Ewan Waller and Gary Featherston and IFA Fellow David Wood
has recently gave up his time from a family holiday to Vanuatu to explore how our
funds can be appropriately expended. This initiative has also opened up constructive
discussions between the Vanuatu Foresters Association and the IFA.
We continue to have positive dialogue with our cousins in New Zealand and both of
our organisations are in communication with Geraint Richards the Head Forester for
the Duchy of Cornwall on how we can build bigger and stronger networks in our region
to improve sustainable forest management in our region. We are also continuing to
grow our relationship with Chinese Society of Forestry.
The Board has confirmed that our next conference will be in Cairns in 2017 from the
Sunday the 13th to Thursday 17th of August and the focus will be on Tropical Forest
Management. Not only will we be looking at forestry in northern Australia but we will
be planning to invite our neighbouring associations in South East Asia and the Pacific.
August is a great month to be in Cairns and this should be an exciting event. Please
mark these dates in your diaries now.
Finally, I would like to thank Alison Carmichael for all the work she did for the IFA as
our CEO for the last three years before she resigned earlier this year. We wish her well
in her new role and look forward to keeping in contact. I would also like to thank Bob
Gordon the Tasmanian Division Chairman for stepping in as our Acting CEO while we
re-structured the Board and our Administration and back office operations. It is has
been a difficult and time consuming task but I believe he has done an excellent job in
developing a platform for the Institute to grow and expand. I am looking forward to an
exciting year for the IFA.
Rob de Fégely
National President
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Annual Report 2014/15
Chief Executive Officer’s report
This year has been one of substantial change for the
IFA , a new constitution and appointment of a new
Board along with CEO Alison Carmichael resigning
in April to take up another CEO role. I would like to
thank Alison for her contribution to the IFA and for
her assistance in the transition.
We also transferred our administrative, membership
and finance function back from our contract service
providers and are now sharing offices and staff with
Australian Forest Growers.
New part time staff Sarah Paradice (also employed by Australian Forest
Growers), Sue Crerar (who is also finance manager for Australian Forestry
Standard Ltd) and Richert Ahlers (membership and completing his Master’s
degree) have worked hard to make the transition from our previous contract
service provider as smooth as possible.
The new skills based Board has already set some new directions, including
a greater focus on continuing professional development, a more strategic
approach to communications, including a more active approach to explaining
our policies and engaging with our politicians. The establishment of
Foresters without Borders and sponsoring a series of overseas study tours
along with a closer engagement with organisations with similar objectives to
the IFA have also been priorities this year.
The whole forest and forest industries sector has been through a very
difficult few years with the collapse of most of the managed investment
scheme (MIS) plantation companies, along with significant listed entities
such as Gunns and Forest Enterprises Australia Limited. The high Australian
dollar and a sluggish economy have had a substantial impact on the viability
of many in the sector.
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However, the recent depreciation of the Australian dollar, the
recapitalisation of the former MIS entities by investment funds and the
resurgence of the building sector have all contributed to a new found
confidence in forests and the forest industry. Companies are starting to
increase their employment of foresters, and the substantial new areas
of Conservation reserves also offer new employment opportunities. The
IFA needs to take an active role as the independent professional voice of
foresters and forest land management. We need to represent the breadth of
activities in which our members operate, from national parks, fire services,
forest companies, state forest agencies and the broader land management
entities as well as academia and the public service.
The IFA also has a role in the development of continuing professional
development, including running seminars, structured educational
opportunities and the sponsorship of study tours. The current Registered
Professional Forester scheme will be reviewed with a view to improving its
relevance, standing, adoption and recognition outside the profession.
The IFA’s financial position has improved through a combination of cost
reduction and revenue increases but we need to do more to attract
new members, particularly student, young professionals and mid-career
professionals. A younger foresters group, chaired by Michelle Freeman
is developing strategies for the Board to implement. We need to improve
the involvement of younger members and have mentoring opportunities
available.
The IFA has a proud 80 years of achievements and we need to make sure we
are positioned to continue those achievements.
Bob Gordon
Acting Chief Executive Officer
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1. About IFA
1.1 Mission Statement
Going strong since 1935, the Institute of
Foresters of Australia is a professional
body with over 1100 members engaged
in all branches of forest management and
conservation in Australia. The Institute is
strongly committed to the principles of
sustainable forest management and the
processes and practices which translate
these principles into outcomes.
• To promote social intercourse
between persons engaged in forestry
• To publish and make educational,
marketing and other materials
available to those engaged in forestry
• To provide the services of the Institute
to forestry organisations inside
Australia and in overseas countries as
the Board may deem appropriate.
The membership represents all segments
of the forestry profession, including public
and private practitioners engaged in many
aspects of forestry, nature conservation,
resource and land management, research,
administration and education. Membership
is not restricted to professional foresters.
Other forestry professionals are welcome to
join IFA.
1.3 Divisions
The IFA is registered nationally as a
Company Limited by Guarantee operating
under a Memorandum of Association and
Articles of Association.
1.4 Secretariat
1.2 Objects
The ‘Objects’ of the Institute are:
• To advance and protect the cause of
forestry
• To maintain a high standard of
qualification in persons engaged in
the practice of forestry
• To promote professional standards
and ethical practice among those
engaged in forestry
There are Divisions of the IFA in each State
and the Australian Capital Territory, headed
by the Divisional Chair and coordinated
through volunteer Committees.
The Association of Consulting Foresters of
Australia (ACFA) is a national Division of IFA.
Day-to-day functions of the IFA are
managed by a small, part-time secretariat
based in Canberra.
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Annual Report 2014/15
Foresters Without Borders
The Institute of Foresters of Australia has helped rebuild the forestry sector in
Vanuatu as part of its Foresters without Borders initiative after the devastation of
Cyclone Pam. IFA raised more than $16 000 through crowd funding to assist Vanuatu.
The Institute’s President, Rob de Fégely said Australia’s professional foresters had
much to offer in the form of technical and scientific expertise, as well as an ability
to raise funds. ‘Following endorsement of the initiative at the conference in April,
Institute members had contributed to the crowd funding and the money was now
being handed over the Vanuatu Forestry Department,’ Mr de Fegely said.
‘The funds would be used for the repair and reconstruction of buildings and nurseries
and provide nursery materials to help growers produce additional trees to reforest
areas damaged by the severe cyclone.
‘The funding will enable the Department of Forests and members of the Vanuatu
Foresters’ Association to re-build and support growers whose livelihoods had been
affected by the cyclone.
‘This with other professional assistance will help Vanuatu in its quest to become selfsufficient in agriculture and forestry.’
At its April national conference the Institute established Foresters without Borders as
a priority program to provide assistance to countries in the Asia Pacific region, based
on the view that sound forest management transcended national borders.
Vanuatu’s Director of Forests, Hannington Tate, has written to the Australian Institute,
thanking members for their assistance and inviting a delegation to the island nation
to discuss further assistance.
Mr Tate said the initial funding would be of great assistance as the country
commenced the rebuilding
IFA member and Fellow David Wood discussed the Foresters without Borders
initiative with the country’s Department of Forestry and senior forestry personnel. He
has made a number of recommendations regarding the funding and these will now
be considered and developed.
The assistance was just one example of how the Institute and its members could
contribute to effective forestry and forest land management in the Asia Pacific region.
The Institute of Foresters of Australia is committed to the principles of responsible
and sustainable forest management and the processes and practices that translate
these principles into real outcomes.
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2. Divisional Reports
2.1 ACT Division
Stuart Davey
The attention of the ACT
Division for much of the
2014/15 financial year
concentrated on assisting
the Institute’s national
office to strategically
position and promote
the Institute’s business. The office moved
from Yarralumla to Bruce and divisional
members assisted with the move. Divisional
members supported Alison Carmichael
until her departure in April with freedom of
information requests about the Tasmanian
Wilderness World Heritage Area 2013
extension, organizing an event celebrating
Australian involvement in international
forestry, drafting a northern Australia
forestry initiative for submission to the
Australian Government and repositioning
the Institute’s journal Australian Forestry.
A planning day about Australian Forestry
was held in September 2014 to strategically
plan the future of the journal. The day
involved members from the ACT Division
and representatives from other Divisions as
well as the journal publisher. Focus of the
planning day was positioning the journal
for the next five years by recommending
implementation strategies and the best way
forward. The Institute’s Board considered
the outcomes of the planning day and a
new strategy for the journal is now in place.
The Division hosted the event “Celebrating
Australian foresters’ work abroad” held
on 24 November 2014 at the Academy of
Science in Canberra . The event was well
patronised and informative and show-cased
the involvement of Australian foresters in
forestry projects internationally. Members
attending the event then went to the
Institute’s annual general meeting and
dinner.
The Division had good attendance at the
Division’s Christmas party and World
Forestry Day dinner. Benjamin Finn gave an
entertaining talk at the World Forestry Day
dinner about his epic walk through the high
country from central Victoria to Canberra.
The dinner was well attended by forestry
students. ANU continued to organize
forestry seminars with eminent speakers
from Australia and overseas.
Divisional members gave Alison Carmichael
a fitting farewell for her role as the
Institute’s CEO and sent her off in good
forestry fashion with a delicious dinner at
Tosolinis on London Circuit.
Members were very saddened by the
untimely death of Richard Stanton in
January and reflected on his roles in
forestry and in the Institute’s ACT and NSW
Divisions.
Kim Wells with other ACT Institute
members investigated and documented the
forestry heritage at Yarralumla.
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2.2 Victorian Division
Gary Featherstone
The highlight of the year
was the organisation
of the ANZIF 2015
Conference at Creswick.
The joint Australian
and New Zealand foresters conference
at the Forest Resort Novatel in April
was a complete success. The organising
committee lead by Rod Keenan and
supported by Consec - Conference
Management are to be commended on
a sterling effort. The conference made a
profit in line with expectations. The post
conference survey rated the conference
as 86 per cent very good or excellent. The
survey also provides valuable ideas for
themes and issues for the next conference.
The presentations were of a high standard.
Work has commenced on implementing the
six conference resolutions.
Victorian forester, Kevin Tolhust was
recognised with a Member of the Order of
Australia (AM) award, recognising him for
his significant service to science through
land and bushfire management, and to
the community through providing expert
advice at fire emergencies. The citation
spells out Kevin’s many achievements in the
bushfire research field many of which will
shape bushfire management and prescribed
burning for at least the next two decades.
It was great to see such a worthy recipient
and for a hard working researcher get some
national recognition.
The Victorian Divisional Committee
has been bolstered with an active and
determined Secretary in Peter Fagg. This
will enable the committee to get more
Annual Report 2014/15
traction and provide better services to the
members. The seminar program of monthly
events will be reinstated. Any ideas for
events for next year can be sent to myself
or Peter.
The June event was the forestry trivia night.
The competition is styled on the ABC music
trivia show Spicks and Specks but with
general knowledge and forestry questions.
Three teams battled it out for glory alone.
The team with the Professor beat the team
with the lawyer and there were no appeals.
Everyone had a good night at the Celtic
Club and we will continue to hold this event
in the future as our World Forestry Day
celebration.
The Victorian Division prepared a
submission to the Forest Industry Advisory
Committee review of the timber strategy.
Mark Poynter was also able to prepare a
personal submission into the review of
ENGO’s tax status, the results of which are
due out shortly. Mark of course has also
been active in the media providing articles
to Online Opinion and countering some of
the misleading material about the threats
to Leadbeater’s Possum.
Victorian member Ewan Waller has been
active in getting interest and momentum
for the idea of a special interest group for
the IFA called Foresters without Borders.
He has been joined by Ian Hastings and
Gary Morgan to form an Establishment
Committee to get the group started. Two
workshops were held in Melbourne and
good support from members was received.
The committee was able to prepare a draft
charter and a draft implementation plan to
plot out the next steps. There remain some
issues concerning insurance and liabilities
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that need better definition. The drafts are
with the Board for consideration. (Media
release)
At about the same time a cyclone ravaged
Vanuatu. Many Australian foresters have
worked in Vanuatu over the years trying to
build up their forestry capability. An online
appeal was launched and raised more than
$16 000 for the rebuilding of the forestry
nursery. A number of members expressed
a willingness to go to Vanuatu to help with
the rebuilding and to provide forestry
expertise. A deployment of volunteers has
been pre-planned but work is required to
find partners with overseas volunteering
experience before a safe venture can be
assured.
2.3 NSW Division
Ross Peacock
Activities for the Division
included meetings with
senior government officials
to provide evidence to
ongoing government policy
inquiries. As part of shaping the debate on
forest management the Division hosted a
full day workshop on adaptive management
and resilient landscapes at the Royal Botanic
Gardens Sydney which acted as a feeder to
the national conference. NSW is currently
assessing options for very significant changes
to the natural resource management
legislation and possibly a new Forestry Act.
In April the Division hosted a special meeting
to discuss the proposed new governance
arrangements. Bob Gordon presented the
proposed governance model, the new
Constitution and collected proxy forms for
the EGM.
Ron Wilson was presented with Fellows
membership and certificate in April 2015.
Ron has had a long and successful career
with FCNSW and the agribusiness investment
management sector and has consistently
supported with work of the Institute as a
former Director and NSW Chair and NSW
Divisional Committee member.
The Division provided in principal support
to a funding proposal prepared by Sebastian
Pfautsch for a proposed ARC Industry
Training Centre at the HIE at UWS Richmond
which unfortunately was not successful.
The Division continues its efforts to support
industry and professional training in NSW
with several members regularly providing
lecturing support at the University of
Sydney and Macquarie University. The lack
of undergraduate training opportunities for
Foresters in Sydney is an on-going issue.
Several members continued to support the
work of the NSW Forest Industry Taskforce
and related working groups such as the
North Coast Taskforce. Members continue
to provide representation on behalf of the
Institute to a range of national committees
including the Australian Committee for the
IUCN. Several members attended the World
Parks Congress in Sydney and many attended
the very successful Creswick conference.
The NSW Divisional AGM in September 2015
was fortunate to have four Board members
attend (Rob de Fegely, Bob Gordon, Hilary
Smith and Neil Byron). The guest speaker
Neil Byron outlined his role as Chair of the
NSW government’s enquiry into biodiversity
legislation reforms and the challenges in
reforming a very finely balanced and complex
environmental legislation framework.
Significant reforms are anticipate in late 2015
and early 2016.
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2.4 West Australian Division
Lachie McCaw
The WA Division held
its annual general
meeting in August 2014
in conjunction with a
weekend field activity at
Dryandra woodland in
the central Wheatbelt.
John Clarke stepped down as Chairman
after leading the Division over a three year
period that saw a sustained level of activity
including well supported field trips, several
submissions to government, and regular
media statements issued on forestry-related
matters. Danielle Wiseman and Greg
Strelein joined the Committee, with Peter
Beatty, Brad Barr, John Clarke and Paul
Brennan continuing from the previous year.
The Division welcomed the decision by
the Forest Stewardship Council in October
2014 to certify timber sourced from pure
and mixed stands of karri forest under
the Controlled Wood Standard (FSCSTD-30-010) and associated FSC Australia’s
High Conservation Values (HCVs) evaluation
framework. Controlled wood certification
represents an important development
for forestry in Western Australia, and
will continue to support good forest
management by providing ongoing market
access for wood sourced from thinning
operations in young regrowth forests. The
Division issued a media release in October
2014, and made a submission to the review
of the Western Australian Forest Products
Commission karri forest management plan
in June 2015.
A large bushfire in the Gnangara pine
plantation north of Perth in mid-January,
Annual Report 2014/15
and several large bushfires in south-west
forests during early February 2015 saw
many members of the Division engaged in
fire control activities with State government
agencies and volunteer bushfire brigades.
The Division issued a media statement
raising concern over the scale and impact
of the fires, and wrote to the Western
Australian Premier and members of
parliament representing electorates and
communities impacted by the bushfires.
Lobbying by the Division and other
concerned groups may have influenced the
Western Australian Government’s decision
to request a review by the State Emergency
Management Committee into aspects of
how the fires were managed.
The Division’s focus extended beyond
the tall forests of the south-west. A wellattended seminar in November 2015 heard
latest research findings into aspects of
managing sandalwood plantations for oil
production in the tropical north of Western
Australia and in drier parts of the southwest agricultural zone.
Eleven members and friends of the Institute
also travelled to the Goldfields for a four
Oak grove at the Foresters
Wood, Donnelly River valley,
Western Australia
Page 13
day trip in late May which took in the
Helena and Aurora Range, semi-arid
woodlands, and Credo Station which is a
former pastoral lease now managed for
conservation and recreation by the
Department of Parks and Wildlife. The
Helena and Aurora Range is a banded
ironstone range of outstanding conservation
and aesthetic value set within a vast
landscape of semi-arid eucalypt woodland
and sandplain, but proposals for iron ore
mining operations in the range are being
assessed by the WA Environmental
Protection Authority. A range of issues
relating to management of the semi-arid
zone were discussed over the course of the
field trip including competing interests of
conservation and mining, history of wood
extraction for fuel and mining timber,
pastoral land management, and proposals
for alienation of further land for agricultural
expansion in the Esperance area.
Mallee and inland wandoo
(Eucalyptus capillosa) at
Bungalbin Hill, Helena and
Aurora Range, north of Southern
Cross.
Activity continued at The Foresters Wood
near Manjimup with participants enduring
a wet and stormy day for the annual
working bee in mid-May where efforts
were directed to pruning the grove of
Quercus robur, now more than 25 years
old. European Beech (Fagus sylvatica)
planted last year survived through the long
dry summer with supplementary watering
and are now well established. A detailed
survey of the site was undertaken by a
licensed surveyor to support planning for
walk trails and interpretation works at the
site. The survey will be paid for from the
$15 000 grant secured by the Division from
LotteryWest. The Division also continued
its support of the Wellington Discovery
Forest near Bunbury, with a public open day
in October 2014 attracting good support
from members of the Institute, Australian
Forest Growers and the local community.
Silvicultural treatment of a further 10 ha of
forest was undertaken in autumn 2015 to
demonstrate the application and benefits of
silviculture in native forests.
Ian Kealley (Regional Manager
Parks and Wildlife WA) draws
a dust diagram to explain
the management of Western
Australian sandalwood, Juardi
Station.
A number of members of the Division
travelled to Creswick for the ANZIF
conference in April, with three papers
presented on Western Australian topics.
Well-respected WA forester Frank Batini
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was recognised as a Fellow of the Institute
during the formal conference dinner.
The Division was saddened by the sudden
and unexpected death of Chris Muller early
in 2015. An obituary describing Chris’s
outstanding career in Victoria and Western
Australia, and his significant contribution to
the work of the Institute was submitted to
‘The Forester’.
2.5 South Australian Division
Jim O’Hehir
The SA Division has two
Branches, the Adelaide
and the Green Triangle
centred on Mount
Gambier. The activities
undertaken during
2014/2015 in the Green
Triangle involved the Plantation Water use
and Licencing seminar and several Divisional
meetings. The Adelaide Branch held their
annual dinner in December 2014.
South Australia has a history of introducing
ground-breaking legislation and the
recent introduction of water licensing for
plantations is a first in Australia. Plantation
owners and managers have a lot to get their
heads around, not just about the immediate
impact on plantation management and
economics but about how this will play out
in future. It is also likely that this legislation
will influence water policy elsewhere in
Australia and potentially overseas.
Plantation water use and licensing in South
Australia was the topic for an IFA hosted,
two-day event in Mt Gambier on 14 and 15
October 2014 to investigate the meaning of
the legislation and its impact on the Green
Annual Report 2014/15
Triangle region forest industry. The event
began with a global perspective, focused
down to SA, and then the Lower Limestone
Coast region. The event provided an
excellent ‘journey’ through the legislation
and perspectives from irrigators, farmers
and other land users.
It was interesting that the two keynote
speakers came from outside the region,
illustrating that whilst South Australia has
a particular hydrogeology the move to
licensing is of interest beyond the State. Dr
Ashley Webb from NSW DPI gave a global
overview of forests and water and Dr Phil
Townsend from the Murray Darling Basin
Authority provided a national perspective.
During the second session presenters
addressed regional issues such as the
development of the Lower Limestone Coast
Water Allocation Plan, the hydrogeology of
the region, what is known already about
tree and plantation water use, and the
plans to measure water use into the future.
A dinner was held the evening of the first
day followed by a field tour on the second.
The IFA ANZIF Biennial Conference held
13 to 16 April 2015 was a great event and
the SA Division and Green Triangle Branch
helped host a three day post-conference
tour, together with Victorian and Western
Australian Division representatives. The
tour ran from Thursday 16 April to Saturday
18 April leaving from Ballarat and travelling
through the Otways to Port Fairy. On Friday
17 April the SA Division hosted visits to Mac
Donnells sawmill in Mount Gambier, Hell’s
Hole sinkhole and a power pole harvesting
operation on OneFortyOne Plantations
estate. A dinner was held that evening
with post-conference tour participants
Page 15
and IFA members in Mount Gambier. On
the Saturday attendees were hosted at
the Southern Tree breeding Associations,
National Genetic Resource Centre before
heading back to Melbourne.
2.6 Queensland Division
Len Sivyer
The Queensland Division
held its 2014 AGM at
Gunabul Homestead,
Gympie on Saturday 9
August 2014 with twentyone members attending.
The committee was elected unopposed
with Stephen Walker as Chair, Len Sivyer
as Deputy Chair, Petra Stritch Secretary;
and committee members being Stephen
Catchpoole, Steven Husband, David
Menzies, Tony Willett, Alex Lindsay and
John Huth. John Huth later resigned from
the committee due to other commitments.
The committee met via telephone on three
occasions and meetings were generally
well-attended.
Following a short break after the AGM,
members and guests were invited to
enjoy a luncheon that thirty-three people
attended. During the luncheon, Carol Neal
(President of South-East Qld Australian
Forest Growers) delivered a well-received
presentation on initial thinning in SEQ
of privately-owned Silver Quandong
(Elaeocarpus grandis) plantations and the
recovery of sawn timber with commercial
value from thinning.
Stephen Walker also presented
HQPlantations forester Steven Husband
with a certificate confirming his
accreditation by the IFA as a Registered
Professional Forester (RPF).
The Qld Division participated in various
successful field-days and events during the
year, including:
• a plantation Hardwood thinning Field
Day with Private Forestry Service
Queensland and the Australian
Forest Growers in a privately-owned
plantation near Gympie;
• an open day held at the Gympie
Woodworks Museum in conjunction
with the International Day of Forests;
and
• a field day held at Topaz on the
Atherton Tableland on the property of
IFA member Peter Stanton, which was
organised by Alex Lindsay.
The most notable member event was held
on the 21st of March 2015 at the Sherwood
Arboretum in Brisbane. About thirty IFA
members met with family and friends to
mark the International Day of Forests and
to celebrate the IFA’s 80th year. The event
also included celebration of the Sherwood
Arboretum’s 90th Birthday and the
awarding of IFA Fellow Membership to Ernie
Rider.
Ernie Riders citation highlighted a valued
career in the fields of forest management,
conservation, botany and landcare. He joins
the illustrious company of Peter Kanowski
(Senior), David Doley, Gary Bacon, Bob
Thistlethwaite, Keith Jennings, David Gough
and David Wood as Fellows of the IFA in
Queensland.
IFA members have a long history and
tradition of association with the Sherwood
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Arboretum and as part of the formal
program of the day a memorial grove of 15
trees was planted. The IFA - represented by
Queensland Chair Stephen Walker - planted
a narrow-leaved bottle tree (Brachychiton
rupestris) within the memorial grove.
The event was orchestrated by Kerrie
Catchpoole, a local Sherwood resident and
former Chair of the Queensland Division of
the IFA.
IFA members and guests at the Sherwood
event also took the opportunity to
recognise the achievement of Seamus
Batstone from Charleville, who earlier
in the year was accepted by the IFA as a
Registered Professional Forester (RPF). He
joins Bob Thistlethwaite, Stephen Walker,
Daryl Killin, Alex Lindsay, David Wood,
David Menzies and Steven Husband as RPFs
resident in Queensland.
Annual Report 2014/15
As part of a rebuilding exercise to
strengthen the Divisions capacity a number
of members were appointed to the
committee subsequent to the AGM. Andrew
Blakesley was appointed Deputy Chair, Jim
Wilson, John Hickey,Clive Woolridge were
appointed to the committee and after Paul’s
resignation Martin Maroni was appointed
Secretary.
The following submissions were prepared
Review of the amendments proposed to the
FPA Review of the Tasmanian RFA Review of
the role of Forestry Tasmania Review of the
Permanent Forest Estate policy
Committee members John Hickey and
Andrew Blakesley were assisted by other
members in the considerable work in
preparing these submissions.
In April 2015 a number of Queensland IFA
members also travelled to Creswick, many
for the first time, to participate in the ANZIF
conference.
Gavin Livingstone organised a seminar at
UTAS for students interested in a career in
Forestry and is in the process of organising
another. Gavin is also a member of the
Young Foresters committee of the IFA .
2.7 Tasmanian Division
A successful joint field day with AFG was
held in April and further events with AFG
are being planned.
Bob Gordon
The Tasmanian Division
had a substantial change
in the composition of its
Divisional Committee with
Aidan Flanagan stepping
down to pursue an
overseas opportunity.
Bob Gordon was appointed Chair with
Gavin Livingstone , Mick Schofield and
Paul Adams being reappointed. Paul
subsequently resigned as Secretary to also
take up an overseas role.
The division had an outstanding result
on membership renewals with all but
4 members renewing by end July. A
recruitment of new members is being
planned.
The division is hosting the national AGM
and a joint CSIRO/IFA seminar on 20th
November in Launceston.
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3. Corporate Governance Activities
3.1 Extraordinary General
Meeting 14 April 2015
An Extraordinary General Meeting of
The Institute of Foresters of Australia
(”Company”) was held in the Pepperberry
Room at the Novotel Forest Resort,
Creswick , Victoria, on the 14th April, 2015
at 5.15pm.
Notice was distributed to members before
Friday 20 March 2015.
The following Resolutions were put to the
Meeting. No other business was conducted
at this meeting
Adoption of New Constitution
Election of transition Directors
To consider, and if thought fit, pass the
following resolution as a special resolution:
“That at the close of this meeting the
following persons be appointed as initial
Directors of the Company:
Rob de Fégely
Stuart Davey
Bob Gordon
Lachie McCaw
To consider, and if thought fit, pass the
following resolution as a special resolution:
Neil Byron
“That the current Memorandum of
Understanding and Articles of the
Company be replaced with the
Constitution attached effective from the
end of this Extraordinary General Meeting.”
Hilary Smith
Hans Drielsma
and hold office until the Annual General
Meeting of the Company in 2016 at which
time half will stand down and an election
held.
The other half will stand down in at
the AGM in 2017 after which time the
provisions in the Constitution come into
effect in full.
L-R. Rob de Fegeley (Pres), Stuart
Davey, Bob Gordon (Acting CEO),
Neil Byron, Hilary Smith, Hans
Drielsma. Absent - Lachie MaCaw
Annual Report 2014/15
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8th ANZIF conference, Creswick Victoria, 13‐16 April
2015
Overview
The 8th ANZIF conference Beyond Tenure: Managing Forests Across the
Landscape, was held in April in Creswick with the formal program over two days,
pre-conference social activities and workshops and one day and three day postconference field trips. The conference was attended by 274 delegates.
Conference resolutions
Support for Indigenous Forest Management
The conference recognises the traditional rights of Indigenous people to access
and care for their forests and understands the significant potential these forests
can make to their environmental, social and economic development. The
Conference notes the substantial number of individual initiatives and projects and
strongly endorses the scientific expertise within the ANZIF network that can enable
these communities and their forests to achieve their potential.
Forest Fire Management
That the IFA and the NZIF form a forward looking position in relation to fire,
involving a strong focus on proactive land management mitigation measures
balanced against an operational fire response focus and that both organisations:
• review current fire-related policies,
• endorse the National Bushfire Management Policy Statement for Forests and
Rangelands,
• endorse the National Research Priorities to 2020 and Beyond for bushfires,
and
• encourage Australian Federal and state and New Zealand governments to
provide adequate funds to reduce the fire risk which shall reduce the cost of
fire response and hence the total expenditure on fire.
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Carbon Forestry
The Conference supports the role of forests and forest products in addressing
climate change and acknowledges the Australian Government efforts to facilitate
public and private investment in innovative and flexible carbon forestry activities.
Given the profound collapse in research and development to underpin these
initiatives the Conference urges that a component of the Emission Reduction Fund
be allocated to research to support the credibility and evolution of carbon forestry.
Forestry without Borders – assistance to Asia Pacific countries
Consistent with the theme Beyond Tenure and the resolutions from the 2011
ANZIF conference in Auckland, the 2015 ANZIF Conference considers that sound
forest management should be Beyond Borders and in particular to the Asia
Pacific region. The Conference supports and endorses the work of the Foresters
without Borders and their first project to assist Vanuatu Forestry and the Vanuatu
community.
Integrating Forests and Agriculture
Farmers make land management decisions that affect more than 70% of Australia.
Much of this land has been cleared of trees for pasture and cropping. Strategically
planted and managed trees and forests can support agriculture (shade and
shelter), underpin the resilience of the farming landscape (land degradation
control), reduce off-farm environmental impacts (improved water quality),
enhance wildlife habitat and diversify farming incomes (e.g. timber, bush foods,
carbon payments). Research and practice suggests that, in many landscapes,
as much as 20 per cent of the agricultural landscape could be planted to trees
without having any negative impact on agricultural production. To help realise this
low risk – high return opportunity, forest scientists have much to offer by sharing
their knowledge and practices in the design, management and utilisation of
multipurpose forests.
Collaboration with Duchy of Cornwall to enhance sustainable forestry worldwide.
We are grateful to His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales for his message of
support to the conference. We resolve to work with His Royal Highness via his
representative at the conference, Geraint Richards (Head Forester, Duchy of
Cornwall) to explore opportunities and develop initiatives in order that our
organisations and Institutes - and others such as the Canadian Institute of Forestry
- can work together for the good of international sustainable forest management.
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Annual Report 2014/15
4. Membership
IFA membership, Australia-wide has continued to decline since its high in 2008 as shown in
the following graph produced by NSW IFA.
This reduction in membership brings a commensurate reduction in funds available to the
IFA offset by income from the ANZIF Conference in April.
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Financial
Performance
5. IFA Financial Report
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Institute of Foresters of Australia
Administration and Member Services
Email: admin@forestry.org.au | Web: www.forestry.org.au
Unit 10, Building C, Trevor Pearcey House, Traeger Crt, Bruce, ACT
ABN: 46 081 354 752