Mike Thompson has his feet still firmly planted on timber, here on the deck of the Coffs Harbour Jetty. He remembers watching sleepers being loaded on to ships for export from the Byron Bay jetty as a child. Photo by Howard Spencer

Talking to someone like Mike Thompson about forestry is a pleasure, his sincerity and passion for the job still evident after 40 years working in the field.

It is his eagerness to explain it which most people who know him will remember as his trademark as he leaves Forests NSW.

My passion comes from a belief that forestry - the regeneration, growth and harvesting of trees - is an intrinsic use of land and a renewable resource, Mike says.

Coupled with this is the confidence this can be achieved whilst providing for other needs like recreation and soil and water protection within the multiple-use forestry principle.

He was not so much surprised as pleased on joining the then Forestry Commission in 1969 to find his passion was shared not only by foresters, but field, sales and clerical staff, and also by those involved in harvesting and processing timber.

My experience has been that people involved in contracting for the supply or processing of logs have a good understanding of forestry and are willing to learn about the scientific basis of forest management, Mike said.

The timber industry has always shown an interest in the science of forest growth and the regeneration of trees.

This engenders a healthy partnership within a commercial environment and proved to be one of the most rewarding aspects of the job for me.

In the 1970s the Forestry Commission was characterised by the declaration of many new State forests, timber stand improvement works, nursery and plantation establishment, substantial road infrastructure expansion and hazard reduction burning.

Timber sales were substantial and foresters had a direct role in setting the price of native species logs.

It was not uncommon for a forester to be pretty much responsible for planning and implementing roading, harvesting and regeneration works for timber sales in the order of 50 000 cubic metres a year, Mike said.

The harvest planning process in particular was substantially less complex than today.

A forester had ample opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities across a range of operational tasks within the same location.

However, it was also not uncommon for a forester to have between three and five transfers in the first ten years of work, all across NSW.

It was 1992 before the first major restructure since the inception of the Forestry Commission in the early 1900s, with a name change to State Forests of NSW.

This was accompanied by the introduction of Government Trading Enterprise status and substantial structural changes to match the heightened focus on the commercial operating environment and the need for additional planning and community consultation.

The past 40 years has seen an expansion of interest in the role of forests and forestry from regional or state settings to national and global scales, Mike said.

A section of forest that was once managed and protected by a local forester in conjunction with neighbours and people like timber cutters, beekeepers and perhaps the odd nature lover has changed to now service a dramatically expanded audience.

Foresters have adjusted to this change and the training institutions will continue to turn out foresters capable of dealing with change - it is just that the journey will be different to what some of us have experienced over the past four decades.

This article appears in the Spring/Summer 2009 edition of Bush Telegraph Magazine.