13th March 2023 Newsletter
PRESIDENTS COLUMN
It is difficult to know where to start this column. It's been a challenging time for our industry lately, with forestry receiving negative attention in the media. Despite our efforts to change the narrative, we continue to face obstacles such as misquoted statements and out-of-context interviews. However, as a community, we cannot give up. We need to engage and strive to correct the misinformation being spread.
NZIF acknowledges there are lessons to be learned from recent events, and I know the sector is committed to making changes to our practices as required. Nevertheless, it's important to recognise in events such as this no matter what we do there will be sediment in the rivers and wood debris flowing downstream. It is nature and is what was occurring before any person stood foot on this land. We can not change this fact, but we can focus on ways to protect and mitigate these downstream effects and to keep people out of harms way. I will continue with this messaging and hopefully we will start to see a change.
In the coming weeks, NZIF will be participating in the land use inquiry, and we will collaborate with other association groups. However we will maintain our independence and our messaging will be science-based as well as based on our understanding of our historical understanding of the land use and why it was put into trees in the first place.
On other matters, I urge you to all consider if you need to be registered under the Crown’s scheme. There are many many of you who will have to be registered. If you think you do, then I encourage you to become a NZIF Registered Member. If you are a Registered Member we will ensure you are registered under the Crown scheme and we will pay your fees. In other words as a Registered Member you are covered. If you are unsure if you should be registered under the Crown scheme call me and let’s talk it through. I have a pretty good understanding of who needs to be registered and it is far more (by a factor of a thousand) than currently are. Time is ticking. To become a Registered Member you must allow a minimum of 8 weeks and probably more if everyone applies all at once. So I encourage you to start the process now.
I'm aware that many members are feeling uncertain about their future and experiencing stress. I encourage you to reach out to each other and talk about your concerns
I guarantee you talking will help. In conjunction with our Australian counterparts, we're planning webinars which will address managing mental health after natural disasters. These webinars will be free and open to everyone.
Finally, I want to thank our Future Foresters for their efforts in organising clean-up work parties, and all members who have volunteered their time. It's essential to remember we are part of these communities (something the media seems to forget), and we're all hurting. I encourage everyone to reach out to each other for a chat.
As always if you want to call or email me feel free. The Council and I are here for you and if there is anything you need from us, please let us now.
Thanks
James
MEMBERS VOICE
James
Your column from 27th Feb is spot on. Very well put.
Robert Green
Thank you to James for your comments in the February newsletter. I wondered if you can tell me please about the 2 historic photos. I wasn't able to enlarge them to read the captions. What year and where please?
Kind regards
John MacKenzie
“The Aftermath” photo is of Waikanae Beach (Gisborne) after a major storm in the 1940’s (sorry can’t find exact year)
The second photo is Esk valley after the 1938 floods
Thanks
James
The politics around consultants.
Like many of you, I have been following the claims and counterclaims of politicians as we get closer to this year’s election. The issue of consultants came to the fore this week.
Those of you who are following MPI’s development of the registration of forest advisers will no doubt have had a look at the CPD policy that MPI asked PWC to develop for them and may even have attended the webinar that PWC ran for MPI. If you compare the PWC proposal with the NZIF policy, you will find remarkable similarity, in fact it looks as if PWC simply obtained a copy of the NZIF policy, made a few cosmetic tweaks, and passed it off to MPI as their own work.
As someone who put a lot of (voluntary) effort into developing the NZIF policy, I find this rather offensive. I also understand neither PWC nor MPI bothered to ask NZIF if it could use the NZIF policy. Surely it would have been easier for MPI to ask NZIF if it could use the same policy and offered to pay something for that – possibly quite a bit less than paying consultants to pick up someone else’s work and pass it off as their own work.
Andrew McEwen
NZIF Registered Forester
FORESTRY EVENTS
2023 ANZIF Conference
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
The Call for Abstracts for the 2023 ANZIF Conference closes at the end of this month, Thursday 30 March 2023.
The 2023 ANZIF Conference Program Sub-Committee is developing a diverse, authentic and engaging conference program. It includes a blend of local, national and international issues to meet the needs of our stakeholders, with an aim to bring together and energise the community of people interested in forests. The program will facilitate structured and informal dialogue and will incorporate a day of field sessions to explore the conference themes. The program will be built around the following themes and sub-themes:
1. Business, Investment and Markets: Agroforestry Opportunities; Bioeconomy; Carbon; Forest Valuation; Market Opportunities and Business; The Future of Forestry Investment.www.forestryconference.com.au
2. People and the Art of Forestry: Education and the Future of the Forestry Profession; Forestry Extension and Capacity Building; Forestry in the Pacific; Forests and Trees on Farms; Health and Safety; Stakeholder, Social and Cultural Values; Stewardship and Certification; Traditional, Cultural, Indigenous and Māori Forestry.
3. Science: Biodiversity and Alternative Species; Biosecurity; Climate and Climate Change; Ecosystem Services and Carbon; Fire; Forest Health; Genetics; Non-Timber Products.
4. Technology and the Future: Bioeconomy; Fire Detection; Innovation; New Technology and Equipment; Predictive and Precision Forestry; Technology – Wood and Innovative Building Products; The Future for Agroforestry.
For more information and to make a submission click here
2023 ANZIF CONFERENCE Theme:
Embracing Our Natural Capital: The Science, Technology and Art of Managing Forests For All Values.
Date: Sunday 15 to Wednesday 18 October 2023
Location: Twin Towns Conference Centre, Gold Coast, QLD
We look forward to welcoming you to the 2023 ANZIF Conference in October.
Kind regards
Jacquie Martin Chief Executive Officer ceo@forestry.org.auForestry Australia
