New Forests

Provide research into environmental services of planted forests in the areas of carbon sequestration, salinity management and land rehabilitation.  Developing methods to monitor and predict environmental services, utilising these methods to establish the potential environmental benefits of planted forests, and the best management practices to optimise environmental benefits.

Rationale

Planted forests can provide significant contribution to the cost-effective management of climate change, dryland salinity and land degradation.  New Forests research program delivers knowledge to guide planning for planted forests to optimise environmental benefits, and to underpin development of markets for environmental services, which will provide financial incentives to facilitate revegetation.

Capabilities

Spotted gum demonstration and Jagrutee

The program has skills in plant physiology, wood science, soil science, forest biophysical measurement, chemical analysis, statistical analysis, scientific writing, communication and extension.
These skills have been utilised to develop expertise in:

• practical field-based forest research 
• carbon accounting for planted forests 
• tree water use 
• trees in the landscape, for salinity mitigation 
• land rehabilitation through recycled organics 
• life cycle assessment 
• innovative concepts in carbon accounting for wood products 
• developing practical applications and simple tools for users

Forest Health Management

Provides research and development of management options to minimise the impact of damaging pathogens and insects of forests within current commercial, environmental and regulatory frameworks.  The surveillance activities and diagnostic capabilities of the Program provide capacity for detection of exotic incursions and potential outbreaks of native pathogens and insect pests.

Rationale

Sirex woodwasp female

The information and technical advice provided by the Program on the health and condition of the Forests NSW estate is utilised for operational planning, impact assessment, amelioration strategies, reporting obligations and auditing and compliance requirements.
The Program provides technical advice to other NSW DPI divisions, state and federal agencies related to the diagnosis and incursion management of exotic pathogens and insect pests of trees and timber products.  Extensive reference collections of forest and timber insects and fungi are housed within the Forest Science Centre.

Capabilities

Forest Health Management is a vertically integrated, multi-disciplinary program that provides research and scientific support to operational, policy and other research disciplines associated with the management of planted and native forests in NSW.

Within the Program there is the Forest Health Surveillance Unit which is responsible for identifying the incidence, severity and extent of areas in plantations and forests, where pests, pathogens, vertebrates, nutrients and weeds are limiting tree growth and affecting tree survival.
Ongoing development of new forest surveillance techniques will improve efficiencies and ensure forest managers’ requirements and expectations are met in a cost efficient manner.

Forest Biodiversity and Ecology

Delivers research and expert scientific advice for maximising and measuring the sustainability of biodiversity in all areas of land management for primary industries, including planted and native forests.

Rationale

Government legislation and increasing community expectations require that we manage our environment in an ecologically sustainable manner, especially our forests on publicly-owned lands.  Forests are complex ecosystems, potentially harbouring thousands of species and require high level scientific research to underpin management and monitoring activities.  Technical support is also required for national and international agreements for monitoring and reporting on the ecological and environmental sustainability of primary industries, including wood production.  Community interest is promoted for land rehabilitation and the restoration of habitat for wildlife in agricultural landscapes.

Capabilities

Pygmy possum with transmitter

The Program’s staff are highly trained and experienced in broad aspects of biodiversity research and management, including specialist knowledge of all terrestrial vertebrates and forest plant taxa. There is considerable experience and expertise in the design and analysis of multi-factorial experiments and investigations of complex ecosystems, with more than 100 scientific papers published on these subjects. Specialist knowledge about the habitat requirements, ecology, and response to disturbance for a wide range of animal and plant species is available.  We have developed expertise in the statistical modelling of species distributions and in the estimation of long-term impacts of land management practices. Current work includes developing appropriate strategies for monitoring the ecological sustainability of forestry operations.

The Program has extensive experience in the communication of research results through the scientific and popular media (including radio and television).  General education and extension courses in species identification, forest fauna survey skills and forest management planning to enhance nature conservation on public and private forest lands, are run at frequent intervals.