New Ways to Think About Old Forests

Earlier this week, forest researchers from around the world came to Hobart to take part in the Old Forests, New Management Conference and to discuss old-growth forest management in the 21st century.

Approximately 250 delegates representing 20 different countries shared their knowledge and research with the idea of refining and adjusting the on-going quest for the best balance of social, economic and environmental values that people around the world place on forests.



The conference featured some 90 speakers – including scientists with Forestry Tasmania – discussing their expertise on the diverse aspects of managing and understanding old forests and forest ecosystems.

I am particularly proud of the scientists working at Forestry Tasmania whose research was featured at the conference either through presentation to the delegates or by a scientific poster. There is no doubt that there is some world class research being conducted at FT.

The Old Forests, New Management Conference has shown that forest management in Tasmania is amongst the world’s best practices and that Tasmania has developed expertise in managing for multiple values and benefits.

“I have had the opportunity to see some of the Tasmanian forests, including the Warra Research Forest,” said conference delegate, Dr John Spence from the University of Alberta in Canada. “The research being done (in Tasmania) is excellent and I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen in terms of conservation of old growth. With more than 40% of the land protected in conservation reserves, Tasmania is a world leader”.






Forestry Tasmania is committed to continuous improvement and co-hosting this conference was part of this commitment. FT is always looking to other parts of the world to see how other forest ecosystems are managed, in hope of finding ideas and practices that could be successfully applied in Tasmania’s wet eucalypt forests.

The conference was co-hosted by Forestry Tasmania, the Cooperative Research Centre for Forestry, and the International Union of Forest Research Organisations, and sponsored by the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and the Australian and Tasmanian Governments.

The Old Forests, New Management conference was part of the Sir Mark Oliphant 2008 Conferences on ‘Frontiers of Science & Technology’.