Rethinking forests: the Melbourne Model and new directions in forest education

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Rethinking forests the Melbourne Model and new
directions in forest education

• Professor Rod Keenan

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Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 Key
Findings
Global forest resources
4 billion hectares of forest (40 million km2)
30 percent of total land area
0.62 hectares per capita
1.4 billion hectares of other wooded land
byMette Løyche Wilkie
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What professional foresters do?

• Assess resource values
• Develop policies and plans
• Manage human activities in forests and financial
  and human resources
• Manage resource supplies to industry
• Environmental impact assessment and mitigation
• Reporting on forest status and condition
• Manage forest protection (fire, insect, disease)
• Forest landscape restoration
• Research

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Where they work?

• Government (Federal, state, local, CMAs)
• Policy
• Land and forest management
• Research
• Industry (large and small, consultants)
• Non-government organisations
• Academic institutions
• Across Australia and overseas

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Forestry skills shortages
Source NAFI/A3P 2006
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History

• Forest education in Victoria since 1910
• University of Melbourne involvement since 1945
• Mix of locations 2 years each in
  Parkville/Creswick

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School of Forest and Ecosystem Science

• Faculty of Land and Food Resources
• Created in July 2004
• Combination of university and government
• 45 research and teaching staff
• 3 locations
• Creswick
• Main campus
• Heidelberg offices
• Partner in 3 Cooperative Research Centres
• Bushfire, Forestry and Wood Innovations

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Key forest sector trends
Increased regulatory complexity
Globalisation
Community expectations and scrutiny
Changes in thecorporate landscape
Shared issues(water, carbon, product
substitution)
Scarcity and mobility of highly skilled
professionals
Threats andOpportunities
Changing land and resource base for forestry
Increase in technology-enabled solutions
Centralisation ofwork centres
Increase in customer buying power and
sophistication
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Master of Forest Ecosystem ScienceThe process

• Formed a design team
• Reviewed international models
• Staff workshops on curriculum development and
  design
• Consultation with government, industry and
  students
• Links with other Australian institutions
• Information sessions and other marketing

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Master of Forest Ecosystem Science The model

• 2 year coursework program
• Entry requirements relatively wide
• Subjects all intensive block mode
• Core coursework component (10 subjects)
• Compatible with entry-level and professional
  development paths
• Wide elective options from across the university
• Internship and research training components

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Key Skills

• Understanding of ecological processes
• Resource assessment and management
• Timber
• Carbon
• Water
• Biodiversity
• Protection (fire, pests, diseases, climate
  change)
• Business, economic and policy skills
• Social and community engagement

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Learnings

• Bringing staff together
• Clear focus and committed support
• Moving early has some benefits but has meant
  uncertainty over student support and other issues
• Widespread support from industry and government
• Student uptake will take time

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Sustainable forest management

• Understanding the ecology of forests and the
  sociology of decision-making