Forestry Tasmania has received the Commonwealth Forestry Association Regional Award for Excellence for South East Asia and Pacific region for its successful regeneration of eucalypts in native forest.
FT managing director Bob Gordon was presented with a citation certificate and medal at a special dinner held in the Great Hall, Parliament House Canberra on Monday.
Mr Gordon said it was a great honour to receive the award.
“The award recognises outstanding work in the forestry sector at a national and regional level and FT is the first corporate recipient of this award in the South East Asia and Pacific region,” he said.
“It is particularly satisfying to have our work acknowledged in this the International Year of Forests which aims to affirm sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of the world’s forests.”
Forestry Tasmania undertook pioneering research into regeneration in wet eucalypt forests spearheaded by the late Max Gilbert and Murray Cunningham who were both awarded PhDs for their work.
“Both Max and Murray had a great love of the bush and were keen observers of the dynamics of eucalypt forests,” Mr Gordon said.
“Their research showed that in wet forests successful regeneration takes place when viable seed is spread on open areas with an ash bed created by and intense fire.
“They found that fire partially sterilises the soil, kills pathogenic micro-organisms and releases mineral nutrients and this was how forests have regenerated for thousands of years.”
As a result of the research in the 1960s the department implemented the clearfell burn and sow method of regeneration which mimics natural wildfire occurrences. Since that time 250,000 hectares of forest have been harvested and successfully regenerated.
During the 1990s Forestry Tasmania developed formal quality standards for monitoring all aspects of regeneration programs including site preparation, sowing using local seeds, harvesting and burning, resulting in more than 95 per cent of areas achieving minimum stocking standards.
“As a result our forests are growing more quickly than we are harvesting them,” Mr Gordon said.
“In 90 years time there will be will be more, not less forests than there are today.”
In state forests eucalypt are regenerated without the use of herbicides or pesticides.
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