Closing the loop in UK forestry
From the Summer 2007 edition of Bush Telegraph Magazine.
In 2006, Forest NSW officer Susannah Kable travelled to England to take up the newly created research liaison officer position with the UK Forestry Commission.
Susannah was one of three liaison officers assembled to facilitate the two-way transfer of knowledge between researchers and end users in England, Scotland and Wales.
One of the challenges for any research organisation is to meet the needs of clients and ensure the outcomes of the research are adopted.
“My role was to act as a conduit through which forest research could inform and explain to the end users the data and results available and how it could be used,” Susannah said.
“This process also allowed the end users to communicate their requirements back to those who commission and carry out research.”
Susannah regularly met with researchers, forest district managers, industry representatives and forestry organisations to identify needs and opportunities for knowledge transfer.
“One of the most useful exercises was to hold open research updates at research stations in Edinburgh and Surrey. Just bringing all interested parties together allowed for networking and the formation of valuable relationships,” she said.
“What was strange, was that instead of talking about eucalypts and fire management, I was suddenly discussing sudden oak death, the English wood fuel strategy and squirrel management!”
Susannah regards her one year stint as an extremely valuable experience and she has now returned to Forests NSW in the community programs team.
Kylie Davies Communications, Wollstonecraft
