Picture source: UBC Forestry
To engage the AP-FECM Steering Committee in advancing innovation in forestry education in the AP-FECM region and keep our communication regular, the AP-FECM Executive Office (EO) has proposed and coordinated the AP-FECM Online Seminar with the confirmation from the AP-FECM Steering Committee.
This seminar will be organized by each AP-FECM Steering Committee on a rotational basis. The on-duty steering committee is responsible for contacting the speaker and promoting the event within their universities and regions. The invited steering committee can give the talk or recommend one expert to give the talk. EO can help promote the seminars to all AP-FECM members and post them on the AP-FECM website. The seminar will be recorded and posted online.
Seminar time: The first Thursday of each month, can be adjusted to another day if necessary.
Seminar frequency and duration: Once per month, 1 hour each time. 45 min presentation+15 min Q&A is recommended.
Seminar topics: In 2025, our webinar focuses on the theme of innovation and new trends in forestry and forestry education. As a result of rapid climate change, biodiversity loss and new technological advances, the continued importance of forests to humans, and the threats that forests face, the careers of forestry professionals are evolving rapidly, especially in the Asia Pacific region. Higher forestry education in the Asia Pacific region has been evolving rapidly over the past few years to keep up with the evolving trends in the forestry sector and to accommodate the needs of students and society.
Innovation and new trends in forestry or forestry education can be shared in the webinars, for example, new trends in technology in forestry, teaching pedagogy, conceptual developments, paradigm shifts and program and curriculum innovation are all suitable topics for webinars.
Our Next Webinar:
AP-FECM webinar
Title: Forestry Education in Australia – Engaging the Forest Sector
Speaker: Dr. Christopher Weston
Associate Professor (Forest Eco, Fire & Soils)
University of Melbourne
Time: Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 07:00-08:00 PM Pacific Time (Vancouver)
Zoom Link: https://ubc.zoom.us/j/67336904105?pwd=CCMgvKEi4ouUyBnDkHWhsSaKUgeLjX.1
Meeting ID: 673 3690 4105
Passcode: 738576
Abstract:
Over the last two decades tertiary forestry education in Australia has become fragmented and integrated broadly with environmental science programs within universities. Within most university course handbooks forestry does not appear in the name of a degree, major, or specialization at either undergraduate or graduate level. Because of the rapid decline in graduates with forestry skills, Australia’s forest sector has rallied support to create a post-graduate course through the University of Tasmania to allow current forestry professionals to further develop their skills and knowledge. This talk will address these themes in the context of the evolving landscape of forestry education in Australia and elsewhere.
Profile:
Professor Christopher Weston is a forest ecologist with interests in recovery of Eucalyptus forests from fire, forest soils and nutrient cycling, and forest ecosystem carbon balance. He has extensive experience teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in forest soils and ecosystem ecology. Recent research projects have addressed the sustainable management of Eucalyptus pellita plantations in the Tiwi Islands, impacts of the repeated burning of native E. sieberi forests in eastern Australia, and the fire tolerance of eucalypt species of differing bark type. Recently Chris was asked to contribute a post-graduate subject on “forest carbon” to a four-subject Graduate Certificate in Forestry administered through the University of Tasmania. Experience in developing and teaching this subject will be the focus of his talk to the AP-FECM webinar series.
2025 Tentative Schedule
| Seminar time (Vancouver time) | On-duty Steering Committee (Host) | Invited Steering Committee | Speaker | Title |
| 6 PM, February 27, 2025, | AP-FECM Executive Office | Dr. John Innes, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Canada | Dr. Orlando Rojas, University of British Columbia | Bioinnovation Accelerates Through a Cross-Disciplinary Framework |
| 6PM, March 06, 2025 | Dr. John Innes | Dr. Antanas Spokevicius, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia | Dr. Christopher Weston, Associate Professor (Forest Eco, Fire & Soils), University of Melbourne | Forestry Education in Australia – Engaging the Forest Sector |
| 7PM, April 03, 2025 | Dr. Antanas Spokevicius | Dr. Mohammed Al-Amin, Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Chittagong University, Bangladesh | ||
| 7PM, May 01, 2025 | Dr. Mohammed Al-Amin | Dr. Cristián Bonacić, Department of Ecosystems & The Environment, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile | ||
| 7PM, June 05, 2025 | Dr. Cristián Bonacić | Dr. Xiong Li, Beijing Forestry University, China | ||
| 7PM, July 03, 2025 | Dr. Xiong Li | Dr. Hao Ren, College of International Education, Nanjing Forestry University, China | ||
| 7PM, August 07, 2025 | Dr. Hao Ren | Dr. Weibin Wang, Southwest Forestry University, China | ||
| 7PM, September 04, 2025 | Dr. Weibin Wang | Dr. Baatarbileg Nachin, National University of Mongolia | ||
| 7PM, October 02, 2025 | Dr. Baatarbileg Nachin | Dr. Jorge Mario Chavez, Faculty of Forestry Sciences, La Molina National Agrarian University, Peru | ||
| 7PM, November 06, 2025 | Dr. Jorge Mario Chavez | Dr. Juan M. Pulhin, Department of Social Forestry and Forest Governance, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Philippines Los Baños, Philippines | ||
| 6PM, December 04, 2025 | Dr. Juan M. Pulhin | Dr. DKNG Pushpakumara, Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka | ||
| 6PM, January 01, 2026 | Dr. DKNG Pushpakumara | Dr. Rachanee Pothitan, Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, Thailand | ||
| 6PM, February 05, 2026 | Dr. Rachanee Pothitan | Dr. Hoang Van Sam, Director of International Cooperation Division, Vietnam National University of Forestry | ||