Title: National initiatives underway across the university sector to support the education in the plantation forest industry
Time: Wed. March 20, 2024, 7-8 pm PST (Vancouver)
Speaker: Dr. Mark Hunt
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Dr. Mark Hunt
Dr. Mark Hunt is Professor of Forestry Science at the University of Tasmania where he has spent the last decade in various leadership roles in Forestry Research and Higher Education, including as Head of Biological Sciences, Dean of Natural Sciences and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Transformation. Mark was the inaugural Director of the National Centre for Future Forest Industries and Director and Chief Investigator of the Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Forest Value. For over six years, Mark was additionally a non-Executive Director on the board of Sustainable Timber Tasmania.
Mark has worked internationally on a range of forestry programs including aid-funded projects supporting regional livelihoods in the South Pacific and southeast Asia through to large scale projects in support of the Industrial Forestry sector in the United States and Chile.
In addition to Mark’s background in Forestry and Tertiary Education, he spent over a year in Antarctica as Station Leader at Australia’s busiest Antarctic base, Casey Station, and is currently a non-Executive Director at the not-for-profit charity, Blueline Laundries.
Mark has a Bachelor of Applied Science degree with first class honours and a PhD from University of Tasmania, a Graduate Diploma of Management from Deakin University, an MBA from Latrobe University, is a member of Forestry Australia and a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Abstract
Formal forestry education in Australia commenced in 1910 at the Victorian Forestry School for technical training) and in 1911 at the University of Adelaide for degree training. The latter officially became the Australian Forestry School in 1926 and moved to Canberra in the following year. The former eventually merged with the University of Melbourne in 1973. Forestry education experienced a long period of success and growth during most of the twentieth century, with four-year Forestry degrees offered at three universities, technical training colleges established and flourishing in most Australian states and a range of other relevant undergraduate courses in science and agriculture right around the nation rounding out the tertiary educational offerings that underpinned the forestry profession for three quarters of a century.
However, changes to forest ownership, to public expectations of forest managers and to the tertiary education sector itself have all contributed to massive changes in Australia’s approach to forestry education during the past forty years. There is now no four-year undergraduate forestry degree offered in Australia and no government run technical training school.
The first part of this presentation will chart the changes between 1911 and 2024, providing context and describing their impact on the sector. The second part of the presentation will describe the current needs of the modern Australian forestry sector, what is being done to appropriately educate and train those working in the industry, and what opportunities and relevance this has for the broader Asia-Pacific region.