Promoting Forests NSW at AusTimber 08
From the Winter 2008 edition of Bush Telegraph Magazine.
Forests NSW booth at AusTimber 08 focused on promoting the many career opportunities available in forestry. Photo by Carmen Perry
Forests NSW staff joined thousands of others from the forestry and timber industry across the globe at AusTimber 2008, held in South Australia in March.
The event is staged every four years to give researchers, foresters, growers, sawmillers and suppliers the opportunity to share experience, technology and knowledge.
Forests NSW education officer, Gerard Nolan, attended the event and said it was truly appropriate to see the international expo staffed in Mount Gambier, as the city is part of Australia’s ‘green triangle’ of pine and eucalypt plantations.
“There’s a total plantation area of 298,000 hectares in the ‘green triangle’, making it the largest regional plantation base in the country,” Gerard said.
“My focus, however, wasn’t on the growing or harvesting of trees. It was on growing careers. We attended a conference held for careers advisors and also used our booth to promote Forests NSW as an employer of choice.”
It was challenging to attract attention, with 224 exhibitors ranging from growers and managers, sawmills and equipment suppliers – including 25 machines worth more than a million dollars each at work in plantations close to town.
“The timber industry is a vital part of the social and economic fabric of many regional communities across Australia,” Gerard said. “Students are often surprised at the diversity of forestry-related careers and the great combination of highly technical, office-based work and days spent in the bush.”
Leah Flint - Communications, Maitland
