March 2009 - Institute of Foresters of Australia

T HE F ORESTER
A publication of The Institute of Foresters of Australia
Registered by Print Post, Publication No. PP299436/00103
Volume 52, Number 1 March 2009 ISSN 1444-8920
ACFA....
the new kid in the IFA family
ACFA
Association of
Consulting Foresters of Australia
Full article page 5
2009 Max Jacobs
award recipients
Page 6
Catchment SIG
Page 10
The Bunya Pine
Page 14
IFA Fire Working
Group
Page 21

Contents
NATIONAL NEWS
From the President ............................................................ 3
From the National Office ................................................. 4
COVER STORY
ACFA ................................................................................ 5
DIVISION NEWS
Victorian Division News .................................................. 18
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
Catchment Special Interest Group
(CSIG)............................................................................... 10
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) ......................................... 22
RPF News
New Registration Committee
Member ............................................................................ 13
SPECIAL FEATURES
Bob Thistlethwaite elevated
to Fellow ........................................................................... 7
The Bunya Pine ................................................................ 14
IFA Representation at the World Bank
FIP Working Group .......................................................... 15
IFA Conference 2009 ....................................................... 16
Max Jacobs Oration .......................................................... 17
Letters of support to IFA .................................................. 19-20
IFA Fire Working Group .................................................. 21
Updating the Deceased Fellows list ................................. 23
Australia’s First paper Machine ....................................... 24-25
OBITUARIES
Vince Hervert ................................................................... 26
AWARDS / SCHOLARSHIPS / GRANTS
2009 Max Jacobs Award Recipients ................................ 6
NW Jolly Medal and
WA FOTY 2008 presentation .......................................... 8-9
2008 Max Jacobs recipient
Progress report .................................................................. 13
Max Jacobs 2008 Grant recipient
Report ............................................................................... 21-22
FORESTRY COURSES
Australian National University ......................................... 11
Southern Cross University ................................................ 12
REGULAR FEATURES
Coming Events ................................................................. 3
Welcome to new members ............................................... 4
Letters to the Editor .......................................................... 28-29
Summary of Email Bulletins ............................................ 27
Membership with the IFA ................................................ 30-31
Merchandise ...................................................................... 32
ADVERTS
Forestry Tools ................................................................... 29
National President
Dr Peter Volker
Board of Directors
Kerrie Catchpoole, QLD
Ron Wilson, NSW
Phil Pritchard, ACT
Mike Ryan, VIC
Zoe Harkin, VIC
Lew Parsons, SA
David Wettenhall, WA
Andrew Wye, TAS
Adrian Goodwin, ACFA
Executive Director
J. Adrian O’Loughlin
Member Services Manager
Cassandra Spencer
National Office
PO Box 7002
YARRALUMLA ACT 2600
Building 6, Wilf Crane Cres
Yarralumla ACT 2600
Phone (02) 6281 3992
Fax (02) 6281 4693
Email: ifa@forestry.org.au
Web Site
www.forestry.org.au
Next date for copy:
1 May 2009
(Vol 52, No. 2)
Editor: J. Adrian O’Loughlin
Design: Cassandra Spencer
Submissions:
The Editor
IFA
PO Box 7002
Yarralumla ACT 2600
Phone (02) 6281 3992
Fax (02) 6281 4693
Email: ifa@forestry.org.au
The Forester is a quarterly
newsletter published by the
Institute of Foresters of
Australia.
Advertising and sales enquiries
should be directed to:
ifa@forestry.org.au
The views expressed in this publication and any inserts are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Institute of Foresters of Australia.
2 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER

From the President
In my December report for The Forester I closed off with a
hope that we would be spared a summer of too much firefighting.
Unfortunately the events of February 7, 2009 will
forever be remembered in Australian history, just as so
many other major fires have impacted on lives throughout
Australia. As I write, the Victorian Premier has announced a
Royal Commission and, as the fires were deliberately lit, I
assume there will be a Coroner’s Inquiry as well.
I believe the Royal Commission is an appropriate and
welcome response. In the case of previous major disasters,
there have been improvements in procedures and
preparedness emanating from such investigations. I
sincerely hope that there is no degeneration in trying to
blame and vilify organisations and individuals, this is neither
constructive nor helpful. The IFA has firm policies on fire
management and preparedness and we have made
submissions to a number of Inquiries throughout Australia
over the past few years. We will be supporting the Inquiry
with constructive suggestions supported by vast knowledge
and experience of members, as well as science. I urge
those of you who are expert in this area to make your voice
heard. The IFA is prepared to assist.
On other fronts, IFA has started to make an impact on the
world stage with the selection of Zoe Harkin to represent
environmental NGOs from developed countries on the World
Bank sponsored FIP program steering committee (see her
article). I have also received support from a number of
professional forestry associations for a joint meeting at the
Coming Events
19-22 April 2009 63rd Australian Pulp and Paper Industry Technical Association (Appita)
Annual Conference/Exhibition. Melbourne Park, Aust.
21-22 April 2009 Biofuels, Bioenergy and Carbon Trading Symposium
Melbourne, Australia
18-20 June 2009 International Wildfire Management
Conference - 2009
Sydney, NSW
6-10 September 2009 IFA 2009 Conference
Forestry - A climate of change
Caloundra, Qld
16-18 November 2009 ForestTECH 2009
Albury, NSW
World Forestry
Congress later this
year. The aim is to
increase the profile of
foresters in
international deliberations on forests, carbon and climate
change. There are many other areas of common interest we
can explore. If we work together we can be heard.
On a regional front, I have had continuing communication
with Andrew McEwan, President of NZIF and we are working
together on a number of areas of common interest. IFA
members have also contributed information and ideas of
mutual interest. The coming ANZIF Conference at Auckland
NZ in 2011 will be held in the International Year of Forests,
the proposed theme will be along the lines of Pacific
Forestry. I welcome ideas for what IFA can contribute, both
to the conference and other activities for that year.
The next few months will be busy as we officially launch the
IFA Scholarship Trust with a comprehensive business plan,
to be developed by the end of March, so watch out for that.
I also urge you to attend the 2009 IFA National Conference
( 6-10 September) in Caloundra, it’s shaping up to be
another outstanding event.
Dr Peter Volker FIFA RPF
Email: admin@appita.com.au
Email: admin@appita.com.au
Web: www.wildfiremanagement09.com
Web: www.forestry.org.au
Phone: (02) 6281 3992
Web: www.foresttechevents.com
If you have a 'Coming Event' you would like included, please email ifa@forestry.org.au with the details of the event.
Alternatively, paid advertising of your event in this newsletter as a full or half page is as easy as contacting the National
Office on ifa@forestry.org.au or phone 02 6281 3992.
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
3

From the National Office
A lot has happened since the December 2008 issue of The
Forester - but nothing as horrific as the disastrous Victorian
Bushfires - claimed to be the single most natural tragedy
experiences by Australia.
Every Australian summer we expect bushfires to be reported
and see we TV images of houses being threatened and the
valiant efforts of our fire fighters being brought into our
lounge rooms. On February 7 th and days immediately after,
what we witnessed had never been seen before - and
hopefully will not be seen again.
It was simply unbelievable and tragic as we watched day
after day, the tragedy unfolding.
On behalf of the membership the Institute of Foresters of
Australia extends to the Victorian bushfires victims and their
suffering communities our heartfelt sympathies.
The Institute has reacted with various actions which include:
• Making a cash donation to the Victorian Red Cross
Bushfire Appeal
• Joining in with other forestry organisations to establish a
Community Support Register to co-ordinate volunteers
and other forms of assistance
• Establishing a Bushfire and Fire Management Resource
website for access by the public, media and others who
are interested in using referenced unbiased materials. It
is expected that this website will be of great use to the
media and to those preparing submissions to the various
Inquiries and the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.
It is available at www.forestry.org.au
• Encouraging IFA members to use the IFA Bulletin Board
to express their views and contribute to the discussions
• Establishing an ‘expert Working Group’ to draft
submissions to the Royal Commission on Victorian
Bushfires and other Inquiries
- See page 21
• Issuing a Media Release
urging ongoing
implementation of outcomes
of Royal Commissions,
Inquires
• Letter to Melbourne Age
urging that those who are in
authority learn from past
experiences
• Plus attending to many other media and member
enquiries.
Several messages of sympathy to the Victorian Bushfire
victims were received by the Institute from our colleagues
from overseas.
Their thoughts are appreciated and acknowledge the
Institute’s standing overseas and its involvement in
international forestry issues.
Some message are reproduced for the information of
members on pages 19-20.
On a brighter note I hope members are looking forward to
gathering together with their colleagues at the IFA National
Conference to be held at Caloundra 6-10 September 2009.
Make sure that you budget for this event. Sponsorship has
been coming in quite well but your help in getting more
sponsorship would be welcomed.
Some preliminary advice about the Conference is included on
page 16.
Adrian O’Loughlin
Executive Director
Welcome to the following new IFA members
VIC
QLD
Hamish Crawford
Barry Dexter
Sarah Hurse
Kang Min Moon
Adam Newnham
Sebastian Pfantsch
Andrew Robertson
Reece Sandwith
Martin Slocombe
Shaun Suitor
Rebecca Brown
Peter Dart
Anne Stunzner
Voting Member
Voting Member
Student Member
Student Member
Student Member
Voting Member
Student Member
Student Member
Associate Member
Associate Member
Student Member
Voting Member
Associate Member
Adrian O’Loughlin
4 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
WA
SA
NSW
ACT
Jareth Howard
Adrian Agars
David Kidd
Andrew Newell
Elspeth Baalman
Matt De Jongh
Sharn gilmour
Tracey-Lee Martin
Mia Spain
Timothy Brown
Katherine Jenkins
Student Member
Student Member
Voting Member
Associate Member
Voting Member
Voting Member
Student Member
Student Member
Student Member
Associate Member
Student Member

ACFA
Association of
Consulting Foresters of Australia
ACFA …. the new kid in the IFA family
The ACFA Division is the new kid in the IFA family. This kid
has a pretty strange name, because to its original name of
Association of Consulting Foresters of Australia has been
appended the title Division. Already, I’m hearing it referred to
as the Consulting Foresters Division, and I’m inclined to think
that might be a better title; the best footpaths are laid where
dirt tracks have appeared…
The IFA has been very welcoming, and ACFA looks forward to
working with the State/Territorial Divisions and enjoying their
active participation in ACFA-organised events. And of course,
we welcome any RPFs who would also like to be a member of
ACFA.
Why does ACFA exist, and what does it offer and demand that
other Divisions may not? It was established in 1978 to
promote and protect the credibility and competence of
Australia's consulting foresters. In much the same way as
other professional groups, it is supported by a rigorous
membership standard, compliance with a continuing
professional development (CDP) program, compulsory
professional indemnity insurance, and a code of ethics. Oh,
and one other oath that must be sworn … members of ACFA
must adhere to the Forest Valuation Standard (FVS) … I’ll get
to that shortly.
The reason I joined the ACFA in 2004 was because I had
recently become a consultant forester based in Sydney having
been a silviculturalist, biometrician and growth modeller at
Forestry Tasmania since 1980. I knew nothing about running
a consultancy, and my forestry network didn’t reach much
beyond the shores of Tasmania and Research Working Group
2 (Forest Mensuration and Information). Resigning from the
public service after 24 years was both exhilarating and scary
for me. The most difficult transition was losing the
organisation’s technical and social support; having IT fix a
computer problem, having HR take care of all the pay and tax
paperwork, chatting to a colleague in person about a technical
problem, or having a laugh with a mate. A cash-strapped
consultant in a new town without a local professional or social
network has none of that support. In small measure, this was
the sort of support I was seeking when I joined ACFA. And in
larger measure, I found it there.
The fact that I was a software-writing resources boffin where
most ACFA members practiced forest valuation, harvest
management and project evaluation didn’t seem to matter – in
fact I might have been seen as complimenting the group’s skill
set. The important thing for me was that they were very
welcoming, and happy to talk about the lessons they’d learnt
managing their consultancies.
The life-blood of ACFA is the regular CPDs where members
meet to review and learn about new systems and practices.
CPDs can piggy-back on events organised by other IFA
divisions or groups. For instance, the last one was organised
by the Tropical Forestry Special Interest Group to study Acacia
mangium on Melville Island, African Mahogany in the Douglas-
Daly region, and Sandalwood around Kununurra. The CPD
before that was an ACFA outing to Fraser Island to look at the
effect of past selective logging practices on the current forest.
I’d not previously visited the NT or Fraser Island, and the
presentations and discussions of forestry history, politics,
silviculture, and management strategy were really illuminating
and refreshing. And just as important was the professional
networking and friendship!
I should stress that CPDs are not jollies for rich consultants!
As a consultant, you quickly realise that time spent off the job
means not just expense in terms of travel and
accommodation, but forgone income. Therefore, the value of
CPDs must be great enough to warrant the expense, and there
is a strong incentive to squeeze every bit of value from them.
If CPDs are ACFAs life-blood, its soul is the codes and
standards that give each member the professional gravitas to
practice as a bona fide member of ACFA. One standard all
members are required to comply with is the Forest Valuation
Standard (FVS). Forest valuation is complex, contentious,
subject to litigation, and involves several professions speaking
different languages. Although the FVS does not yet resolve
all problems associated with forest valuation, it offers a
transparent and predictable approach to valuation, an
acceptable interpretation of the current accounting standards,
and is likely to reduce litigation and the associated cost of
professional indemnity insurance.
The story of the FVS is really one of evolving agreement and
understanding amongst foresters, accountants, and property
valuers. Ian Ferguson and Jerry Leech have worked tirelessly
over many years to develop standards compliant with
Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB), and then the
International Accounting Standards Board.
Continued on page 7
Adrian Goodwin
Chairman, ACFA Division
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
5

2009 Max Jacobs Award Recipients
The Max Jacobs committee has announced the recipients of
the 2009 awards:
Dr Sarah Munks
Brief description of proposal:
This study aims to investigate the
approach taken to biodiversity
conservation in areas subject to
production forestry activities in
Canada and North America. In
particular, how the effectiveness of
measures for the conservation of
biodiversity are monitored and how
new information is taken into
account in on-ground management.
A recent review of approaches taken
to biodiversity conservation in areas
managed for wood production in four
states in Australia found that
monitoring the effectiveness of
measures applied in forest
management is seen as an important
priority by forest management
agencies. Most States visited during
this review were grappling with the
question of how such a monitoring
program should be designed and
implemented. This proposed study
will result in an international
perspective to assist with the
development of effectiveness
monitoring programs in Australia.
The key issues to be explored,
include the development of clear
objectives, sampling design and an
adaptive management framework.
Dr Sebastian Pfautsch
Brief description of proposal:
“Water use and requirement of
Nothofagus spp. in Australia and
Patagonia – effects of environmental
change on a keystone forest species”
Growth of the genus Nothofagus is
restricted to cool temperate forest
regions around the Pacific rim on the
southern hemisphere. Natural
regeneration of the genus depends
strongly on water availability, fire
frequency and the duration of frosts.
All three parameters are largely
climate controlled. All models to
predict future global climate suggest
declining precipitation in high rainfall
areas, alongside with prolonged
summer droughts. This will affect all
Nothofagus forests, particularly the
most southern stands.
We seek to carry out research on
Nothofagus cunninghamii
(southeastern Australia), N. antartica
and N. pumilio (southern Argentina),
in order to measure their water
requirements. Correlating these
measurements with environmental
parameters, and modeling the
influence of these parameters on
tree water use in the futures, will
enable us to develop a tool for
foresters and water authorities to
predict future distribution of the
species, and will assist to reduce risk
of extinction of Nothofagus forests.
Dr Krishna K. Shrestha
Brief description of proposal:
This proposal seeks financial support
for overseas travel to undertake
research in Nepalese community
forestry. This research is a part of an
international research which aims to
examine the politics of environmental
justice in decentralized natural
resource management. This is an
important project because
decentralized management has
become the centerpiece of policy
reforms around the world. Its
application has been applauded for
enhancing collaboration, empowering
communities and improving equity.
By comparative analysis of Australian
regional resource management and
Nepalese community forestry, the
project will develop a new
conceptual framework and policy
recommendations for the equitable
governance of natural resources. Its
significance lies in its comparative
approach and development of the
concept of embeddedness to
understand the intersection between
local environmental justice and
broader economic/political processes.
The project will also help resolve a
dilemma between equity and equality
which is crucial to the wider debate
concerning democracy, justice and
sustainability.
6 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER

Bob Thistlethwaite elevated to Fellow
At its meeting on 20 November 2008 the IFA Board of
Directors approved that Dr Robert (Bob) Thistlethwaite RPF
be elevated to Fellow level of membership.
Bob joined the IFA as a student member in 1963 following
his days at the Australian Forestry School ion Canberra. He
became a voting member in 1968 and in recent years has
served the Institute outstandingly in a variety of executive
positions. Bob has been Divisional Chair for 6 years (2001-
2007), IFA Director for 6 years, Member of 2009 Conference
Committee, Chair of the recently formed Tropical Forestry
Special Interest Group, and is an Executive Member of the
Association of Consulting Foresters of Australia. Bob was the
first member of the Queensland Division to obtain
accreditation in July 2007 under the Registered Professional
Forester scheme in the area of General Practicing Forester.
Bob Thistlethwaite has made a significant and valued
contribution to the Institute of Foresters of Australia over a
considerable period and continues to do so.
Bob attended forestry school in the early 1960’s with fellow
Queenslander’s such as Tom Just, David Lamb, Barry Stark
and Robin Yule. Bob always had a keen enthusiasm for
research and in 1970 completed his PhD study from ANU on
the topic “Forests and water supply in the Cotter catchment,
with reference to P. radiate (D Don) plantations”. Bob
commenced his professional career in 1971 when he was
appointed Principal Research Officer with the Papua New
Guinea Dept of Forests and was in charge of forest
management research, with a wide range of tropical and
exotic species. In early 1978 he became Principal Research
Officer with the Dept of the Interior in Darwin and OIC of the
Berrimah Research Laboratory. This followed an 8-year stint
working in primary industries with a focus on agriculture,
Continued from page 5 - ACFA Division
Only in recent times have Australian and international valuers
shown interest in forest valuation. The recently revamped
International Valuation Standards Board (IVSB) recognises that
forest valuation is a contentious issue, and may prepare a forest
valuation standard as one if it’s first projects. In light of this,
ACFA has applied for technical membership of the International
Valuation Standards Committee so that we can be proactive in
the development of an international forest valuation standard.
The evolution of the FVS has now entered the third phase, which
promises to close the professional loop of foresters, accountants
and valuers. With support from the IFA, government and
industry, the ACFA hopes to be part of a consensus a long time in
the making.
The ACFA web site is http://www.consultingforesters.org.au and
the current FVS can be seen under the standards menu. The
animal industry development and agro-forestry ventures.
In 1986 after undertaking a review of the hardwood forestry
plantation resource in Fiji Bob was invited to join AIDAB’s
(now AusAID) Pacific Regional team as its Natural Resources
Advisor to undertake identification, establishment and
appraisal of aid-funded projects for nine Pacific island
countries across forestry, agriculture and artisanal fishery
sector. In 1989 Bob established his own natural resources
and environmental consulting company which focused mainly
on the 22 island nations of the Pacific basin. On the
Australian scene Bob has worked as an independent forester
for a number of hardwood plantation MIS in Queensland,
NSW and WA.
Dr Robert Thistlethwaite receiving his Fellow
certificate from IFA President Dr Peter Volker
next CPD is set for Canberra on 27-29 March 2009 and is a study
of sampling and measurement for carbon sequestration projects,
and the new National Carbon Accounting Scheme.
Adrian Goodwin
(Chairman, ACFA Division)
AdrianGoodwin@bushlogic.com.au
Look for this logo on
the IFA website!
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
7

NW Jolly Medal and WA Forester of the Year
2008 awards
The NW Jolly Medal presentation to Roger Underwood, and
the WA Forester of the Year presentation to Rick Sneeuwjagt
at the National Trust headquarters was well supported by a
Who’s Who of forestry in Western Australia.
The day was forecast to be over 40 degrees but still they
came. Former Conservator of Forests and Director of Premier
and Cabinet Bruce Beggs, many senior government and
private foresters and family supporters of Roger and Rick
were there.
IFA Director and Divisional Chairman David Wettenhall hosted
the gathering, which was held outdoors under the shade of a
spreading Moreton Bay fig tree. This provided welcome relief
to the heat of the day.
In commencing the first item of the ceremony, the
presentation of the WA Forester of the Year, David said “Rick
Sneeuwjagt is a well respected member of the Institute and
the community at large. He is a very deserving recipient of the
Forester of the Year.
Dr Neil Burrows delivered an excellent summary of Rick’s
many professional achievements and provided some
humorous insights into Rick’s extensive career in Western
Australia. Neil said that during his time as fire researcher in
the southern forests of WA, Rick was responsible for the
development of fire behaviour tables that are still in use
today. After a brief tour in operations as District Manager at
Pemberton, Rick became a Regional Leader in Forest
Regeneration and Protection. Rick continued to move upward
in his impressive career and is currently manager of the Fire
Services Branch in the Department of Environment and
Conservation. Rick previously has been recognised for his
services to fire and emergency services with the National
Medal and in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2008 with an
Australian Fire Service Medal.
Rick acknowledged his appreciation for the award. He
recognised the previous recipients, most of whom were in
attendance, and expressed his appreciation and support of
Mandy (Rick’s wife) over the many fire seasons that she has
had to endure. Rick also acknowledged the achievements of
Roger Underwood and extended his congratulations to him on
being awarded the NW Jolly Medal.
David read a letter of congratulations to Roger Underwood
from IFA National President Dr Peter Volker, and then invited
Jack Bradshaw to present an oration on behalf of Roger. Jack
described Roger’s professional working career that took him
from the humble beginnings of student vocational work as a
forest workman rising to district management, regional and
research management and ultimately appointment as General
Manager of the Department of Conservation and Land
Management. On his way through his career Roger
contributed strongly to the reform of the agency, to the
profession and to the practice of forestry in WA. He was well
known for his interest in guiding and supporting young
foresters, and for his passionate defence of forestry. As a
From left:
Jack Bradshaw,
N.W. Jolly Medal
recipient Roger
Underwood,
WA Forester of the
Year recipient Rick
Sneeuwjagt,
Peter Beatty,
WA Division
Chairman David
Wettenhall.
8 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER

senior officer, Roger could always find time for those prepared to
put in the effort in work and in self-development. In “retirement”
Roger remains active in forestry and bushfire consultancy work,
in his leadership of the Bushfire Front, writing books and articles
on forestry and forest history, and developing a private
arboretum on the Avon River and writing several submissions for
the IFA.
On being invited to respond we knew we were in for a treat.
Roger expressed his feelings of being overwhelmed and humbled
to be in the company of previous NW Jolly Medal winners, the
list of which contains the names of Australia’s greatest foresters.
Roger then focussed on what he considered to be the main
contributing factor to his professional career, and probably the
missing element in forestry today: mentoring. He said he had
been made aware from his earliest time in the Department that
he was a link in a chain – that his senior officers recognised their
responsibility to ensuring he did his job well, and furthermore,
that he knew he had the same responsibility to those who
followed him. “The great foresters of the past, the men who
mentored me,” Roger said, “were distinguished by three things:
they loved the forests, they loved and honoured the forestry
profession, and they loved and were loyal to the Department,
even though they recognised its flaws.” They were also tough
men, and often very demanding, insisting on professional
standards, and expecting total dedication to the cause.
Roger observed that forestry today is unrecognisable compared
to the forestry he knew as a young forester in the 1960s and
1970s. Then, after paying tribute to the loving support of his
wife Ellen throughout his career, he finished with a word to the
young foresters of today: Remember the past and honour your
professional heritage, but look to the future. In doing so, do not
forget your professional obligation to help, guide and train, and
to demand the highest professional standards from those who
follow you.
Following the formal presentations guests were invited into the
Old Observatory, the headquarters of the National Trust of
Australia (WA). As it turned out, several foresters (Bevan
Campbell being one) recalled having walked from the University
of Western Australia, up Jacob’s Ladder in Kings Park, to have
their Botany lessons in these rooms when the State’s Herbarium
and Government Botanist were located there.
Special Thanks:
The event was well coordinated by Hugh Chevis, who emerged
from the depths of the Native Tribunal to recapture his roots in
forestry.
A special vote of thanks goes to Alan Briggs and the National
Trust for making the facilities of the Trust available for the
presentations and refreshments.
Thank you Roger for your assistance with this article.
WA Divison thanks IFA Board of Directors for their support
(including financial) of the event.
Alan Briggs - WA Division
WA Division
Chairman David
Wettenhall chats to
guests at the
National Trust
headquaters in
Perth, WA.
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
9

CATCHMENTS SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (CSIG) -
Victorian meeting
The Institute of Foresters of Australia has established a
Catchment SIG to encourage consideration by members of this
vital issue. The first meeting of the group was held in
Melbourne in late November 2008 attended by nine Members,
In attendance were seven from Victoria and two from Western
Australia. Four attendees are forestry consultants (G Gooding,
M Poynter, P Shedley and F Batini), the others work for
Melbourne Water ( Ms V Harris), Vic Forests ( M Ryan), DSE (N
Ronan), Landcare (R Youl) and the University of Melbourne ( L
Bren). Each member provided a brief report (verbal and
written) on the work they were involved with, emphasising the
role and key issues associated with catchment management.
All of the Victorians had at some stage been involved with
management, research or consultancy on Melbourne’s water
catchments and my notes (below) are based on their
comments, discussions and written inputs as well as my
knowledge of catchments in Western Australia. However any
errors in interpretation are mine.
There are some similarities and many differences between the
two States in respect to catchment management for urban
water supply.
The Water Corporation relies on a Security through Diversity
approach to water supply. These comprise surface water,
groundwater, desalination, demand management, water
trading, recycling and catchment management. Melbourne is
still entirely dependant on its surface water catchments, but a
desalination plant is under construction and a pipeline proposal
is under discussion.
Perth has a low level of water restrictions, but Melbourne is
now at Stage 4 restrictions
Melbourne’s catchments cover about 160000 ha whereas
Perth’s cover about 450000 ha. However, the average
catchment rainfall is much lower in Western
Australia.
Yields have declined in both States due to
climate change and other causes, but more
so in WA. Average yield for Melbourne’s
catchments is about 25 percent of rainfall
whereas Perth’s is only about 6 percent.
Thinning and logging trials in both States
(1980’s-1990’s) have shown that water yield
can be substantially increased.
Many of the Melbourne catchments are
National Parks and closed to logging.
There are also National Parks on
Perth’s catchments that are closed to
logging. Logging is permitted on State
forest areas of catchments in both
States. However there is pressure from
environmentalists in both States to
cease all logging on State forests.
There is no mining permitted in
Melbourne water supply, in contrast to
the extensive mining being carried out
here by Alcoa World Alumina.
The predominant forest types that occur on Melbourne’s
catchments are mountain ash (both old-growth (60 percent)
and 80 yo regrowth following the 1939 wildfires) as well as
some mixed forests. Forest types in WA include jarrah, marri
and wandoo forest most of which have been logged two or
more times, with only small pockets of old growth remaining.
Loss of water quality following wildfire is a great concern to
water supply authorities in both States, but more so in
Victoria, with its steeper slopes and with no alternative water
sources should one or more of its reservoirs be closed through
pollution.
Wildfire is a constant threat in both States. The forests in WA
are more accessible, less steep and easier to prescribe burn
than their equivalents near Melbourne. Whereas DCE relies on
both early detection/suppression as well as extensive fuel
reduction through prescribed burning, its equivalent
Department (DSE) and Melbourne Water are primarily reliant
on early detection; rapid attack and backburning off hundreds
of kilometres of firebreaks should the initial rapid suppression
efforts fail.
While this strategy will succeed 95 percent of the time, it has
been proven time and again, both in Australia, Europe and
California; that suppression efforts will inevitably fail in areas
where access is difficult, under extreme fire-weather
conditions and with multiple sources of ignition.
Should this series of events occur, I believe that Melbourne
will face a water crisis.
Frank Batini MIFA - fbatini@bigpond.net.au
Convenor Catchments SIG
The IFA is seeking your views on establishing additional
SIG’s - See page 22 for more information
Frank Batini
10 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER

Dr Matthew Brookhouse ramps up ANU
tree ring research
The need to better understand past climate variability and change has
reinvigorated interest in tree ribg research as a means of reconstructing
climatological and hydrological records and, more directly, for studying the
impacts of climate variability on plant growth. Dr Matt Brookhouse is
focusing his work on the use of Australian tree-ring data to reconstruct
past climates and study the sensitivity of Australian forest and woodland
species to environmental change.
Matt’s interest in tree rings emerged during his undergraduate Forestry
degree at ANU, in the second half of the 1990s. His work then with the
late Dr John Banks transformed this interest into a serious passion. Six
years with the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment’s
Statewide Forest Resource Inventory team only intensified this passion,
and eventually led Matt eventually back to the ANU, and a PhD on the
dendroclimatological potential of eucalypts.
Since completing his PhD in 2007, Matt’s work has focussed on one
species - Eucalyptus pauciflora – because of the strong impact that climate
has on the species at high elevation. Specifically, due to snow gum’s
sensitivity to snow and cloud cover and low temperatures, tree-ring data
from the species has immense potential for reconstructing the flow of
rivers with their headwaters in alpine regions.
With support from the M.R. Jacobs Fund administered by the IFA, Matt’s
research in alpine regions has expanded to the Australian mainland’s only
alpine conifer – Podocarpus lawrencei. The remarkable longevity of the
species makes it is of considerable interest for climatology, and recent
work Matt has undertaken on the species jointly with colleagues in Wales
has advanced this potential significantly. Matt expects that studies such as
those of E. pauciflora and P. lawrencei will not only allow climate
reconstruction, but also contribute to science-based natural resource
management in Australia.
Cris Brack takes up Forestry Chair at
Waiariki
Professor Cris Brack has taken a period of leave from ANU to become the
inaugural Chair of Forestry at the Waiariki Institute of Technology,
Rotorua, New Zealand. The School of Forestry, Wood Processing and
Biotechnology within the Institute has a long history of teaching Diploma
students in forest management, operations and wood processing, but was
keen to increase its academic and research potential. Cris’ 14 years at
ANU, and the strong research and teaching profile he’s developed, provide
an excellent platform for his new role. The Institute’s location, adjacent to
NZ’s SCION forest research institute, offers considerable potential for
research collaboration.
Cris will be maintaining his links with ANU – virtually, through visits his
ANU research students and colleagues will be making to Rotorua, and
through continuing to deliver his forest inventory course into the National
Forestry Masters Program. His new contact is Cris.Brack@waiariki.ac.nz.
ANU Forestry
Alumni & Friends News
March 2009
• phone: 02 6125 2579 fax 02 6125 0746 •
•email: forestry@anu.edu.au www: http://fennerschool.anu.edu.au/•
Dr Matthew Brookhouse in the field at Mt Baw
Baw, Victoria
Professor Cris Brack
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
11

SCU’s major activity is putting on a 4year
undergraduate course in forestry,
at both the Lismore NSW and Mount
Gambier SA campuses. But this is far
from a purely Australian exercise. Over
the years most classes have had in
them at least a few international
students, mainly from SE Asia and the
south Pacific regions. Many of them
have been supported by AusAID
scholarships. For example, the forestry
departments of Solomon Islands and
Vanuatu have each had two students
pass through the SCU program. Also
commonwealth grants have been used
to provide for postgraduate students in
forestry working on research projects
that are in both their home countries
and Australia.
SCU also has an exchange agreement
with Northern Arizona University in
Flagstaff, Arizona USA whereby a
number of Australian and American
students have changed places for a
semester or even a year.
The head of the forestry program,
Professor Jerry Vanclay, formerly a
senior scientist at CIFOR in Indonesia,
continues his many international
collaborations.
Jerry has just agreed to be part of a
review committee on “Forest models
addressing emerging management
challenges in Europe”. With his longtime
colleague J.P. Skovsgaard of
Denmark he wrote an article “Forest
site productivity: Review of the
evolution of dendrometric concepts for
even-aged stands” (Forestry 81(1):13-
31) that won an award for best article in
that journal in 2008.
Our staff are involved in several
projects funded by the Australian
International activities in forestry
Centre for International Agricultural
Research (ACIAR). Jerry Vanclay has
been part of an ACIAR project to
develop small farm forestry in the
Philippines and has been evaluating
agroforestry systems in West Timor on
another grant. In 2007 Doland Nichols,
John Grant and Kevin Glencross of
SCU began a four-year project on the
development of plantations of
Whitewood on Santo island, Vanuatu.
Currently a recent forestry graduate,
Kate Convery, is working as a volunteer
with Australian Youth Ambassadors in
Development in association with this
project.
David Lloyd and Doland Nichols visited
East Timor in 2007 and brought over a
group of lecturers from the East Timor
Institute of Coffee (ETICA) for training
in Lismore. ETICA just had its first
graduation ceremony in Gleno, a small
town the central coffee-growing region.
We hope to continue working in East
Timor and assist in developing its
agroforestry and small-farm forestry
sector.
Link to story about Basil Gua of
Solomon Islands Forestry Department
and SCU forestry graduate http://
discover.scu.edu.au/2007/issue7/
index.php/10/.
East Timor Institute of Coffee (ETICA)
students
J. Doland Nichols Associate Professor in Sustainable Forestry
Coffee in East Timor
Forestry graduate Kate Convery
School of Environmental Science and Management Southern Cross University Lismore, NSW 2480
Ph: (02) 6620 3492 Fax: (02) 6621 2669 E-mail: dnichols@scu.edu.au
12 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER

New Registration Committee member
encourages RPF applications
When promoting forestry to politicians and members of the
public I often mention “around 75 members are Registered
Professional Foresters which provides public assurance of their
professionalism. As I ponder over this statement I am
concerned that less than 6% of IFA members appear to have
achieved this “cornerstone of professionalism”. Are the
standards really that high or do IFA members not seek
recognition as professionals?
One of the reasons that I receive when I ask questions like that
is “but what is in it for me?” So I thought that as a Registered
Member, I should provide my own answer.
“For me personally, being registered is one of the ways in
which I demonstrate my commitment to my profession – I can
tell people that by being registered I have the qualifications
and experience and passed the peer review needed for
registration, that I have committed to keep my skills and
knowledge up-to-date through meeting the CPD requirements,
that I make an annual commitment to adhere to the IFA code
of ethics, that I have been willing to make my registration
subject to periodic peer review and that I am also willing to
make myself subject to a formal professional complaints and
disciplinary process. In addition I can call myself a “Registered
Professional Forester”.
This is what I get for the very low cost and effort of
maintaining my registration. The Continuing Professional
Development requirements are readily achieved by keeping up
with developments in forestry and putting in a few altruistic
hours for the community.
In many professions and trades there is a statutory
requirement to register, in others, such as ours it is voluntary.
But for most professions, registration is proof of achievement
of the standard to which professionals aspire. If forestry
2008 Max Jacobs Fund recipient
Progress Report by Shannon Smith
Title: Microsatellite Development and Population Genetics of
the horizontal borer, Austroplatypus incompertus, in the
forests of South-east Australia.
Organisation: Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie
University
Activity for which the funding was awarded:
Development of microsatellite markers to examine dispersal
capability and population differentiation within A. incompertus in
the South-east forests of Australia.
Background:
The development of microsatellite markers is a cornerstone to
the broader project as they will enable quantification of genetic
variation both at fine scales and across broad gradients in A.
incompertus populations. Preliminary experiments using a
followed that pattern
we would have 900-
1000 registered
members, rather than
the 75 who currently
meet that aspiration.
As a new member on
the RPF Registration
Committee one of my
targets this year is to
work with the
Committee to see what
David Wettenhall
steps we can take to
improve the
Registration Scheme, but without in any way reducing the
standards that must be achieved and maintained by Registered
Members or the integrity of the registration process. We have
quite a lot of past material which is probably outdated now
with the passing of time but I would also be interested in any
suggestions that you, the member, wish to make.
Of course, one of the ways to improve the attractiveness of the
scheme is to have many more Registered Members. So why
don’t you consider applying?
David Wettenhall
Registered Professional Forester #1
(Editor’s note: David Wettenhall has been appointed to the RPF
Registration Committee replacing Gary Featherston and Dr
John Herbohn has been appointed to replace Dr Brian Turner.)
traditional microsatellite isolation
technique (following that of Smith &
Stow 2008) revealed a very low
frequency of microsatellites in the
genome of A. incompertus. Our
current work, enabled by the
Maxwell Ralph Jacobs Fund, utilizes
a more recently developed
enrichment protocol to attempt isolation and characterization of
at least 12 microsatellite loci, suitable for inferring dispersal
levels in the species.
Progress:
Although the protocol being followed had previously been
refined by researchers within the Biology Department at
Continued on page 27
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
13

The Bunya Pine
– One of Australia’s Most Culturally
Significant Trees
Last October, on a field trip
associated with Greening
Australia’s VegFutures
conference I visited the Bunya
Mountains National Park north
of Toowoomba in Queensland,
which is the major remnant
location for the magnificent
bunya pine (Araucaria
bidwillii). While I had observed
these visually impressive trees
in parks and gardens over the
years, I had never before seen
them in their natural habitat.
The subtropical rainforest with
emergent bunya pine is a very
special place, both in terms of
being a remnant of ancient
wetter times before flowering
plants emerged and because
of their cultural significance.
The bunya pine was a sacred
tree for Aboriginal people and
it is therefore one of the most
culturally significant Australian
trees. Aboriginal people
travelled very large distances
to the Bunya Mountains to
feast on the bunya nuts and to
perform cultural ceremonies.
Visiting tribes held initiation
ceremonies, settled disputes,
arranged marriages, passed on
lore and feasted on the
nutritious pine nuts which
were either eaten raw or
roasted.
People came to the Bunya
Mountains from the Clarence
River in northern New South
Wales and possibly as far
south as Cobar as well as from
the Maranoa River in the west
and Wide Bay in the east when
the trees were heavily seeding,
which occurs every three
years. One can only imagine
how long it took to walk there
from some of these places and
how they found their way to
this location, which to modern
eyes is not that prominent in
the surrounding landscape.
Not only were the trees an
important food source to
Aboriginal people, but
according to the Indigenous
ranger in the National Park,
the trees were regarded like
the soul of their mother. The
last of these significant
Indigenous festivals was held
in the Bunya Mountains in the
late 1880s.
Europeans too seem to have
had some cultural connections
to these impressive trees. Back
in 1842, Governor Gipps
declared that no licences be
granted for logging of lands
bearing Bunya Pines. While
some timber was cut from the
bunya and hoop pines of the
Bunya Mountains from the
1880s to the 1930s, over 9000
hectares of the Bunya
Mountains was protected in
Queensland’s second national
park in 1908.
One very interesting fact is
that the Bunya Pine so
fascinated early European
explorers and settlers that they
propagated seedlings and
planted them around many of
the significant homesteads
around eastern Australia.
Growing up in Werribee
Victoria, I was aware of the
bunya pines in the grounds of
the Werribee Park Mansion,
built by Thomas Chirnside in
1877.
In the Canberra region, Bunya
Pines were planted in the
grounds of both Duntroon and
Lanyon homesteads. The trees
in the Lanyon gardens date
from the 1880s.
The bunya pine also has a
linkage with the establishment
of the Federal Parliament in
Canberra through a tree that
was planted by the Duke of
York in 1927 on Kings Avenue
to mark the opening of old
Parliament House. It is also
one of the Australian trees
featured in the foyer of the
new Parliament House.
Tony Bartlett (ACT Division)-
tbartlett@actewagl.net.au
14 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER

IFA Representation at the World Bank FIP Working
Group in Washington DC - by Zoe Harkin
A flurry of red, white and blue flags, a purpose-built
grandstand and high level security signalled my arrival in
Washington DC in early January 2009, to represent the IFA
on the World Bank Forest Investment Program (FIP) working
group. However I quickly realised that the festivities were
not for members of the FIP Working Group, but for a far
more auspicious guest - Obama. Just ten days prior to the
inauguration, and the entire city of Washington DC was in
the grip of Obama-mania.
It was amidst this atmosphere of excitement, celebration,
and hope for new change, that the Working Group meeting
of the FIP was held at the International Finance Corporation
Headquarters, mere blocks from the White House. The FIP is
a special program established under the newly created World
Bank Climate Investment Fund, whose purpose is to finance
pilot-based activities to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation
and Degradation (REDD) in developing countries. The aim of
the Working Group meeting was to define the objectives and
modalities for operation of the FIP, in order to help spend the
multi-million dollars of donor money pledged under the fund.
In stark contrast to the atmosphere outside, the meeting
itself was not dissimilar to the forecast of Australia’s climate
in 2050 – a little dry. Discussions focussed on punctuation in
the draft FIP design document, as well as defining voting
rights and observer status for parties under the proposed FIP
Steering Committee. Who would have thought that the fate
of natural forests in developing countries rested upon the
nuances of the term ‘maximise’ vs ‘optimise’? Punctuation
aside, when the FIP becomes operational (hopefully later this
year), it will provide a valuable source of finance for
sustainable forestry activities such as reduced impact
logging; measures to restore degraded ecosystems;
improvements in forest monitoring, certification and controls
on illegal logging.
While I confess to feeling somewhat intimidated by the high
calibre of my fellow Working Group members, I felt I was
able to convey the interests of IFA members on a number of
issues. This included the need for training and skills
development for forestry professionals in developing
countries, as well as stressing a careful balance of public and
private funding to avoid crowding out the private sector. I
was also able to advocate the importance of ensuring that
individuals appointed to the FIP Expert Group act as
individuals in their professional capacities, free of influence
from their employer or funding agencies. As we have already
witnessed in Australia, the integrity of research on the role of
forests and climate change can be impacted by political
influences. Finally, I felt I was able to provide a relatively
humble degree of operational experience in implementation
of REDD projects, in a working group largely dominated by
strategic level policy specialists.
I am also pleased to report that the working group
participants demonstrated a high level of understanding of
the role of forests and wood products in climate change
mitigation. Agriculture and urban development, not forestry,
were cited as some of
the main causes of
deforestation; and
promotion of sustainable
forest management was
recognised as an equally
important mechanism to
mitigate climate change,
alongside traditional
forest conservation
activities.
In my opinion, effective implementation of REDD will require
an unprecedented level of cooperation between foresters and
conservationists: two groups that have often-times found
themselves at odds in the past, despite both having the same
ultimate objective – sustainable forest management. The
opportunity lies in the growing realisation that simply cutting
off timber supply does not reduce harvest rates (or
greenhouse gas emissions) – it simply transfers the harvest
elsewhere. Likewise, substitution of timber products with
more greenhouse-intensive products such as steel,
aluminium or concrete results in perverse greenhouse
outcomes. Therefore a more holistic, global scale approach to
forest management is required to achieve REDD – an area in
which foresters are well-qualified.
The IFA’s representation on the FIP working group was the
result of an international selection process, whereby the IFA
was nominated by vote as one of only two civil society
groups to participate. The IFA was selected above some
major international civil society groups such as WWF and The
Nature Conservancy, so it is a credit to the IFA to be
nominated, and it was an honour for me to attend on behalf
of the IFA. The meeting follows on from the IFA President’s
attendance at the IUCN Congress in Barcelona last year, and
reflects the IFA’s growing presence in international forestry
fora. I would like to thank Peter Volker for putting forward
my nomination for attendance at the meeting. I would also
encourage fellow members to maximise the benefits of their
IFA membership, through their ability to represent the IFA at
meetings of this type. It provides the rare opportunity for
members to freely advance issues of concern to professional
foresters, while providing an excellent career development
and networking opportunity.
Zoe Harkiin - zoe.harkin@fauna-flora.org
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
15

IFA National Conference takes shape
The Organising Committee for the IFA National
Conference, being held at Caloundra Qld from 6-10
September 2009, is finalising its Speakers Program
and Registration arrangements, with the Registration
Brochure being available soon.
A copy of the brochure will be sent to all IFA
members, and will be posted on the IFA website
www.forestry.org.au
Conference Chairman, Stephen Walker, has advised
that he is delighted with the ready response of highly
competent speakers to make their time available for
the Conference. Arrangements are in hand to obtain
accommodation concessions, and Stephen has advised
that the Registration fees have been set as follows:
Income (GST Inclusive)
Unit
Price
Member - Earlybird $700
Member - Standard $800
Non Member - Earlybird $900
Non Member - Standard $1050
Student (Undergraduate) - Discounted
Registration * if accompanied by poster
*$100
Day Registrations - Members $450
Day Registrations - Non Members $500
Dr Ian Bevege has accepted an invitation from the
Max Jacobs Fund Committee to present the 2009 Max
Jacobs Oration at the Conference (see article opposite
for further details).
In addition, Stephen is pleased to advise that the
following well credentialed forestry professionals have
accepted invitations to be Keynote Speakers at the
conference:
• Professor John Innes, IUFRO Vice President,
University of British Columbia, Canada
• Penny Baalman, Managing Director, GHG Offset
Services
• Dr David Brand, Managing Director, New Forests
• Kathryn Adams, FWPA and AFSL Director
• Nick Roberts, Chief Executive Officer, Forests NSW
The IFA would also like to take this opportunity
acknowledge the major sponsors that have chosen to
be associated with the conference.
GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
CONFERENCE
DINNER SPONSOR
Stephen Walker
16 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER

Dr Max Jacobs to be honoured at the 2009 IFA
National Conference
The late Dr Max Jacobs was one of Australia's
most distinguished foresters. At the time of his
retirement in 1970 he was the Director-General
of the Forestry and Timber Bureau, having
worked in the public service for 44 years. The
IFA honours Max Jacobs by inviting a prominent
forester to deliver a Memorial Oration at each
IFA National Conference, in memory of Max
Jacobs.
Dr Ian Bevege has accepted an invitation from
the Max Jacobs Fund Committee to present the
2009 Max Jacobs Oration at the IFA National
Conference being held at Caloundra Qld from 6
– 10 September 2009.
Ian Bevege (BSc For Hons (Qld), PhD (UNE),
Dip For (Canberra)) studied forestry at
Queensland University and the Australian
Forestry School Canberra as a Queensland
Government Fellowship holder (1957-1961).
Ian retired in April 2002 after 30 years in
professional forestry in Queensland and New
South Wales and 15 years in overseas aid
management. He was a recipient of the Schlich
Medal of the Australian Forestry School (1961),
the Hedges Prize of the Institute of Foresters of
Australia (1965) and of the IUFRO Scientific
Achievement Award (1981). He spent five years
(1967-71) on post-graduate research under
scholarships from the Rural Credits
Development Fund of the Reserve Bank and
Nuffield Foundation respectively, at the
University of New England Armidale and CSIRO
Division of Soils Adelaide on nutritional
physiology and mycorrhiza of Araucaria. His last
domestic forestry appointment was as Chief,
Wood Technology and Forest Research Division
NSW Forestry Commission (1982-86)..
From late 1986 until mid 1991 he was an
Assistant Director General with the Australian
International Development Assistance Bureau
(now AusAID) the organisation responsible for
delivering official Australian overseas
development assistance. This involved
programme planning and management in many
countries of the Asia Pacific region across
several economic sectors including forestry, in
project design, appraisal, evaluation and
sectoral studies, and finally as Executive
Director of AIDAB’s Centre for Pacific
Development and Training (ACPAC) in Sydney.
From 1991 until retirement in 2002 he was
Principal Advisor with the Australian Centre for
International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
leading the team (1991-93) that established the
Center for International Forestry Research
(CIFOR) in Indonesia for the Consultative Group
on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
He served as a Director of the Forest and Wood
Products Research and Development
Corporation from 1997-2000 and on the
Selection Panel for the Scientist Assistance
Programme for IUFRO XXII World Congress
Brisbane 2005He served as Executive Member
and Chairman of the Asia Pacific Association of
Agricultural Research Institutes (APAARI) during
1999-2000 and as Advisor to the China Council
on International Cooperation on Environment
and Development Task Force on Forests and
Grasslands (2000-2002).
Ian Bevege is author of over 120 published
research papers and technical reports. He is
currently a member of the Editorial Panel of the
IFA’s journal Australian Forestry and a member
of the Max Jacobs Award Committee. He is a
Member of the Institute of Foresters of Australia
and of the Institute of Wood Science.
IFA 2009 Conference
6-10 September 2009 Caloundra, Qld
The late Dr Max Jacobs
Dr Ian Bevege
www.forestry.org.au - Conference organizers: All Occasions Group Phone: 08-8125 2200
Registrations opening soon!
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
17

Victorian Division News
As I write this report Victoria has just experienced the
devastating fires of Saturday 7 Feb which have to date taken
210 lives and over 1200 houses. Having grown up in and gone
to school in St Andrews and my parents still living in the area it
was a shock to see that 22 of the deaths were in this town and
over 30 in each of the adjacent townships of Kinglake and
Strathewan. The beautiful historic township of Marysville is razed
taking dozens of lives and many other smaller townships around
the Bunyip fires.
Many foresters and thousands of other volunteers and
professional fire fighters and support services still involved and
affected by these fires in and around Kinglake, Yea, Beechworth,
Dargo, Bunyip, Noojee, Bendigo, Yarram, Coloraine,
Camperdown and will be for weeks – then comes the recovery
and rebuilding effort.
The extent and severity of forest impact is yet to be assessed
but the water catchments of Wallaby Creek, one of the finest
stands of Old growth Mountain Ash in Victoria, has been burnt
through and fires are currently burning in the O’Shanessy
Catchment. Large areas of plantation, State forest, Private land
and National Park covering some 300,000ha have been affected
to date.
This tragedy is made so much worse by having many of the fires
deliberately lit on the hottest day ever recorded in Victoria’s
history. Very fortunately conditions moderated the following day
which had dropped to the low to mid 20’s South of the divide
and high 20’s North of the Divide so that while still dangerous
they are allowing some effective fire control to be undertaken.
Victoria has had these horrendous conditions before in 1851,
1898, 1926, 1939, 1983 and now we have now had horror fire
seasons in 2003, 2006/07 and now 2009. The record zero
rainfall for January and record high temperatures bring grave
concerns for forest managers in both how we manage our
forests now and then into the future. Parts of the Alpine fires of
2003 and 2006/07 coincided such that, for the foreseeable
future, many areas have lost these Ash forests. While this is not
unprecedented with co-incidence of the 1926 and 1932 fires and
This photo was taken at a wedding at De Bortoli Wines in the Yarra
Valley on Saturday 7th February. Guests were taken away from the
fires into wine cellars underground as embers fell on the property.
the 1932 and 1939 fires, these
continued extreme events
require us to all contribute in
improving our environmental
situation.
Just over the Christmas break
the Government announced its
decision on the River Red Gum
investigation, a forest
ecosystem that has had large
scale forest health decline. It
seems largely of that pretext
over 95% of Victorian Red
Gum forests will be placed into
the reserve system. As
foresters we have expressed
deep concern through numerous submissions and letters to the
assessment process and directly to the Government that without
addressing the fundamental issues of ecologically appropriate
flooding, salinity and ground water, this decision will not
improve forest health. It will however have devastating regional
social and economic implications. We want, and indeed need, a
comprehensive Parks system but this must be balanced with
State forest managed for a wider variety of values and our
management of all public land must meet the stated
management objectives.
The serious environmental issues globally require a global
approach as the evidence is mounting that human induced
climate change is contributing to these environmental extremes.
As foresters we can continue to contribute to decisions that
adequately account for greenhouse gas implications and make a
positive contribution through our land management practices be
they in Park, State Forest, industrial plantations or farm forestry.
As we see greater areas being affected by natural disasters and
government decisions to close rural industries I would like to see
our farm forestry and plantation industries being further
promoted to take up part of this challenge of sustainable rural
industries and providing for societies demand for a variety of
forest products. We have a tremendously enthusiastic farm
forestry industry in Victoria that is the model for expansion and
further integration into our agricultural landscape for timber and
non-timber benefits.
The IFA Victorian Division Committee has many things planned
for 2009, with our Sticks and Spechts trivia night for World
Forestry Day to be held Wednesday 25 March 2009, field trips
planned for the Wombat Forest and the seminar series being
planned for across Victoria to continue to engage foresters and
the wider interested community. We also have responses
planned for the Government on the Sustainability Commissioner
report, further work on Red Gums, the Timber Industry
Strategy, Reduced Emissions from Avoided Deforestation and
ongoing media where Mark Poynter is making tremendous
contributions.
Our immediate priority however will be how to assist in the fire
control effort and to see how we can help and support affected
families and communities in the rebuilding effort post fire. I will
be seeking your ideas and contributions in this area.
Michael Ryan, Chairman (Victorian Division)
mfryan18@optusnet.com.au
Mike Ryan
Chairman, Victorian Division
18 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER

Received by email:
Dear Peter,
On behalf of the members of the Commonwealth Forestry Association I’m contacting you to express our sympathy and
support to Australian foresters in the present disaster caused by bushfires in Victoria .
The situation has been widely reported in the international media, from which we can appreciate the terrible loss of life and
damage to society and the environment that has occurred. Our feelings are of course especially for professional foresters and
their families who are caught up in this tragedy.
Please pass on to all members of the IFA our sympathy and solidarity with them at this time.
Jim Ball
Chair, CFA
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
19

IFA Members who are 65 years of age or over and who do not work full time are
entitled to a 50% reduction on their Voting Member fees!
20 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER

IFA Fire Working Group
Note of teleconference meeting held 3 March 2009
Participants:
Peter Volker (Chair), Michael Ryan, Roger Underwood,
Phil Cheney, Lachie McCaw, Brett Shields, Oliver
Raymond and Adrian O’Loughlin.
Apology:
Keith Tolhurst (unavailable until end of March).
Meeting
In opening the meeting Peter Volker thanked members
for agreeing to participate in the Working Group. He
mentioned that the main purpose of the meeting was
to establish a base of members to help put the IFA in a
position to be able to respond to the various Inquiries
and the Victorian Royal Commission covering the
Victorian Bushfires. Also to consider peripheral issues
such as offering professional help and advice as
appropriate.
Peter mentioned that while he would chair this first
meeting he would rely on Director Michael Ryan to
take over as Co-ordinator for future meetings and
actions.
In discussion the Group agreed/decided:
1. There is a need for drafting action on a submission
to the Royal Commission (RC) to commence
immediately
2. Roger Underwood would update the ‘Nairn’
submission which can be used a base document for
the IFA’s submission to the R.C.
3. All IFA members are to be canvassed for ideas and
members should clearly identify which T.O.R they
are addressing. Michael Ryan will send out a
message to members requesting their input and
what else the IFA is doing about the fire issues.
4. The overall submission would be made along the
same lines i.e. addressing the T.O.R. - even if this
means a degree of repetition.
5. There may be an opportunity to work in with the
CRC on Bushfires. For example, IFA/CRC to make
similar opinions on similar issues.
6. Michael Ryan to Co-ordinate the Group.
7. Each Panel member agreed to provide their
comments on each TOR (to Roger Underwood
please) with a cc to the Group, including Adrian
O’Loughlin.
8. Brett Shields undertook to provide some
opportunities to contribute to the ‘Wildfire’ journal
and possibly some other journals.
9. Adrian O’Loughlin agreed to approach the AFJ
editor with the view of a having a ‘balanced’ article
by a Guest Editor in the June 2009 issue.
10. Oliver Raymond/Michael Ryan (and Brett Shields?)
agreed to attend the Victorian World Forestry Day
Dinner or Forum on 26 March (evening) to give
Victorian IFA members an opportunity to discuss
the issues with representatives of the Working
Group. Michael Ryan to send out invitation to
members.
11. Peter Volker, as IFA President, to offer the R.C. the
independent advice and services of the IFA.
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
End.
IFA Bushfire & Forest Management Resource Site
Look for this logo on the IFA website:
www.forestry.org.au.
The Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA) has developed a public reference website to
bring together important and unbiased reference documents.
21

Special Interest Groups (SIGs) - Interest?
Following the successful establishment of the Tropical Forestry and Catchments SIG’s the IFA Board of Directors has
agreed to canvas all members on the possible establishment of an additional couple of SIGs during 2009 and possibly some
more in following years.
Members are invited to suggest what SIGs they believe might be appropriate, what role they would play and if they would
be prepared to take part in a leadership or supportive role of the suggested SIGs.
The National Office will provide administrative support to the SIGs, however the success of each SIG will depend on IFA
members participation. SIGs are required to report to the Board of Directors through a dedicated Portfolio Director, and to
provide budgets for consideration each year.
SIGs should be group of members with an ongoing common interest on issues covering matters of national interest.
The Board will consolidate your suggestions and decide its future actions depending on the extent of members’ interest in
the establishment of additional SIGs.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are networks of members that:
• provide a network and forum for members to meet and/or converse on their area of common interest;
• provide the Institute with groups of specialists that can lobby and comment on legislation and policies
and advise government bodies at all levels;
• provide a data base on specialist areas that all members can access
• organise conferences/workshops and professional development opportunities to increase the knowledge
and skills of members in the specific professional practice areas.
• produce relevant articles for periodicals, newsletters, etc
• produce Media Releases on relevant issues (in liaison with the appropriate Media Liaison Officer/
Executive Director) and
• provide input into professional development opportunities.
Please register your Expression of Interest by completing the flowing information (when
completed email: admin@forestry.org.au / fax: 02 - 6281 4693 or post to: IFA PO Box 7002
Yarralumla ACT 2600).
1. What SIG do you think the IFA should establish?
2. Would you be prepared to participate in the Group?
3. Would you be prepared to take on a leadership role?
4. What activities would you like the Group to arrange?
5. Your name:
6. Your organisation:
7. Comments:
18-20 June 2009
Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre
www.wildfiremanagement09.com
22 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER

Updating the Deceased Fellows list
The Institute has posted a list of all Fellow members on its website at www.forestry.org.au
The National Office is currently updating the list to show those who have passed away. As the Institute’s records in
the pre-computer days were kept on cards by voluntary Secretaries it is possible that the passing of some Fellows
members may not have been noted.
Current members are requested to review this list and advise admin@forestry.org.au of any Fellows names that they
are definitely sure have passed away. No guesses please!
State Title First name Last name Deceased
ACT Prof Eric Bachelard
QLD Dr Gary Bacon
NSW Mr Ian Barnes
QCT Mr Tony Bartlett
NSW Mr George Baur
WA Mr Bruce Beggs
SA Mr Michael Bleby
SA Mr Robert Boardman
SA Dr David Boomsma
WA Mr Frank (Jack) Bradshaw
NSW Mr Robert Bridges
ACT Mr Alan Brown
SA Mr Peter Bulman
QLD Mr Peter Byrne
NSW Mr David Cameron
ACT Dr Les Carron X
ACT Mr Noel (Phil) Cheney
VIC Mr Valentine Cleary
ACT Mrs Heather Crompton
ACT Mr Kurt Cremer X
NSW Dr Dick Curtin
NSW Mr Frank Curtin
QLD Dr David Doley
SA Mr Don Douglas
VIC Mr Moray Douglas X
TAS Dr Johannes Drielsma
VIC Mr Alan Eddy
ACT Dr Ken Eldridge
TAS Mr Kenneth Felton
VIC Prof Ian Ferguson
TAS Mr Don Frankcombe
NSW Mr Roy Free
TAS Dr John Gilbert X
QLD Mr David Gough
VIC Dr Peter Greig
VIC Dr Ron Grose X
VIC Mr Mike Hall
NSW Mr Jack Henry X
WA Mr Peter Hewett
WA Dr Eric Hopkins
State Title First name Last name Deceased
VIC Mr Neil Humphreys
VIC Mr John Jack
QLD Mr Keith Jennings
WA Mr Paul Jones
QLD Mr Peter Kanowski (Snr)
ACT Prof Peter Kanowski
SA Dr Jerry Leech
OS Mr Alfred Leslie
SA Mr Norm Lewis
NSW Mr Stanley Margules
WA Dr Frank McKinnell
WA Mr John Meachem
ACT Mr Robert Newman
NSW Mr Ellis Nicholson
ACT Mr Bob Nielsen Snr X
VIC Mr Patrick O'Shaughnessy
TAS Mr Neil Parker
VIC Dr Leon Pederick
SA Mr Edgar Pfeiffer
QLD Mr Clive Price
NSW Dr Bryant Richards
TAS Mr Evan Rolley
NSW Mr David Ryan X
VIC Mr Peter
Alfred
Sheehan
WA Mr (Charles) Shedley X
WA Mr Phillip N. Shedley
ACT Dr Ken Shepherd
TAS Mr John Smith
VIC Dr Raymond Spencer
WA Mr Don Spriggins
WA Mr Roger Underwood
TAS Mr Robert Van Schie
WA Mr Ken Vear X
TAS Dr Peter Volker
TAS Mr Jim Walker
VIC Mr Gary Waugh
WA Mr Jim Williamson
TAS Mr Graham Wilkinson
VIC Mr John Wright
QLD Mr Tim Yorkston
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
23

Australia’s First Paper Machine - a personal memoir
The Pulp & Paper Industry of Australia had
its scientific origins at the time of WW1
when the Commonwealth Institute of
Science & Industry (CISI) was created.
By chance Pulp & Paper science
commenced in Perth. CISI had found
appropriate talent in the technical
education system, in the persons of I.H.
Boas and L.R. Benjamin, and in C.E. Lane
-Poole the Conservator of Forests. Lane-
Poole had French connections with the
forestry and forest products domains,
and was alive to the paper possibilities for
eucalypts.
Paper technology was at that time more
than 100 years old in the Northern
Hemisphere but was mostly based on
coniferous timber. Australia’s eucalypts
were as yet untested.
In 1918, the first discussions took place
between Lane-Poole and Boas. Boas was
Lecturer in Chemistry and had been
conducting in-course studies on the
pulping of Karri wood.
The outcome was the establishment of a
CISI Forest Products Laboratory in Perth,
albeit with limited budget and rudimentary
facilities. Boas was O/I/C and L.R.
Benjamin Chemist-in-Charge. Research
commenced seriously on a semicommercial
basis in 1920-21 ; the major
substrate was Karri.
Four newspaper companies combined to
make a grant of 600 pounds to the new
CISI laboratory. This was used to import a
model Fourdrinier papermaking machine
from Britain. This Machine proved to be a
useful research tool for testing the papermaking
properties and capabilities of pulp
from local timbers. However its life in this
role was of short duration; thereafter it
became largely a museum piece
occasionally used for demonstration
purposes.
Nevertheless, the model became a
heritage icon, revered by the Forest
Products fraternity.
I have tried to trace its subsequent
journeys and useages thoughout the
breadth of Australia and within
the several paper companies and research
institutions. But there are many gaps in
my history.
This is the best trace I have been able to
compile :
The Odyssey
Manufacture : T.J. Marshall & Co.,
London. Built for Edinburgh Exhibition of
1886.
1921 Purchased by a consortium of four
WA newspapers, imported and donated to
the CISI Forest Products Laboratory,
Perth.
1923 The CISI Laboratory was
transferred to Brunswick Technical School
(Melbourne). Its life there was short . Its
facilities were transferred to East
Melbourne in 1928. It is not known
where the Machine was located during this
interregnum.
1928 CSIR (DFP) was formed to
supersede CISI, and acquired the de facto
ownership of the Machine which was
lodged at the CSIR (DFP) Headquarters in
East Melbourne.
1933 Its first public display was given to
an invited 3AR radio audience at that
location.
1937-1947. The Machine was
transferred to the new DFP Laboratory on
Yarra Bank Road, ready for display at the
[Plate 1] Fourdrinier Model Papermaking Machine built by TJ Marshall & Co. London, for
Edinburgh Exhibition of 1886. Used by Boas & Benjamin in Perth in early 1920s. Photo
Taken by CSIR (DFP) during its period of ownership/custody in Melbourne. Depicted as
Figure 1, Plate 19. in CSIR(DFP) publication: ‘The Commercial Timbers of Australia - their
Properties & Uses’ - I.H. Boas, Melbourne 1947.
official opening in April 1937. I.H. Boas
- First Chief CSIR(DFP)- authored the
seminal publication “The Commercial
Timbers of Australia-their Properties &
Uses”. Its publication date was 1947, but
its completion date was before 1944. It
contained a photo of the Machine on
display at the Yarra Bank Road Lab (See
plate 1).
1947. Late September 1947. three
intrepid university students borrowed the
Machine for four days, not from CSIR
(DFP) but from the Headquarters of
APM, Southbank.
1947 – 1954. One is not sure whether
the Machine was after 1947 transferred by
APM back to DFP Yarra Bank Road , and
thenceforth shipped to Tasmania, or
directly from APM to Tasmania.
1954. At some stage between 1947 and
1954, ANM Tasmania took over custody of
the Machine. Len Johnson surmises that
ANM formally borrowed it from CSIR ,
firstly for display as a working model at
the Hobart Industrial Exhibition, where it
was operated by Alan Pearson & Len
Johnson.
Early 1980s. Ralph Coghill recalls that it
was part of the Kernandie equipment used
by Benjamin & Somerville. It is not clear
if it went into storage at Boyer when that
operation terminated.
1983. Ralph Coghill (ANM Albury)
organized the transportation of the
Machine to Albury, to display it as a
working model at the Wodonga/Albury
Trade Fair. Afterwards it was returned to
Boyer.
1980s Overall. One gathers from Len
Johnson’s narrative that the Machine spent
most of the 1980s in the custody of ANM
Tasmania, and virtually all its public
displays and demonstrations were
organized by ANM. He mentions at least
two exhibitions, plus one Royal
Tasmanian Agricultural Show, where Steve
Balmforth (ANM) won the Best Exhibit
Award. Len even mentions its appearance
at a local Flower Show!
In the mid-1990s it returned to its
spiritual home- CSIRO Melbourne.
As of early 2009 the Machine is to be
seen in a glass case in the Reception Foyer
of the CSIRO Forest Biosciences Division
adjacent to the Monash University
Campus, Clayton, Melbourne. (That
organization has now shed its CSIRO
badge and had its name re-written).
24 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER

One’s fervent wish is that this Paper &
Pulp historic icon will remain in
sympathetic safe custody, forever available
for public inspection and reverence.
See Plate 2, which depicts a glamorised
refurbished Machine, resplendent with
burnished copper tank and polished brass
components. This did not seem to
resemble the mundane utilitarian
laboratory item which I recalled from my
1947 University days. This
transformation was explained by Bill
Balodis and Len Johnson - Dr Warren
Hewertson, ex-Chief, Division of Forest
Products, in 1996 commissioned its
restoration to “museum standards”. That
work was done by John Day, a retired
instrument technician from Melbourne
University, carried out in his living
room . The refurbishment cost was
largely funded by ANM Tasmania.
My prime objective in this paper is to
describe my chance personal encounter
with the Marshall Model Paper-making
Machine (whose Australian service
commencement coincided with my year of
birth). This encounter could be described
almost as a student prank - a fun thing,
but with some serious intent.
Paper-making in the University of
Melbourne Botany School
In 1947 I was in the second year of my
B.Sc, For. Studies at Melbourne University,
with Jack Newey and John Fitzpatrick.
About September every year the University
put on a “Science Week”, wherein each
scientific faculty presented to visitors the
more interesting parts of its Science.
The respective displays were set out in the
Campus precincts and lasted for a whole
weekend.
As Science week approached, Jack Newey
conceived the stunning idea of borrowing
that impressive piece of pulp& paper
memorabilia which was languishing in its
glass case in the foyer of APM Head Office,
and showing it off as a working model, as
part of Science Week.
He used his persuasive powers to recruit
John Fitzpatrick and me as collaborators.
John agreed, but I was very reluctant.
We were dangerously close to exams and I
had lots of “swotting” to do and was
suffering from examination jitters.
Distractions were not welcome. But I
finally succumbed.
First, Jack obtained APM’s blessing, which
was readily given. Thinking back, they
were astonishingly trusting.. If the
Machine had fallen off the back of a truck
while in our charge, our only option would
have been ritual suicide - a threesome.
He got the willing consent of Prof. J.S.
Turner, Professor of Botany, for the use of
the larger of the Labs., provided there
was minimal disruption before or after.
Jack called on past favours to obtain the
use of a Forests Commission truck.
With minimal guidance from APM, and
little help elsewhere, we achieved the
impossible dream. We transported it safely
to and from, managed to set it up in the
Botany School, learnt how to operate it,
worked it more or less continuously
through the Saturday and Sunday. We
steadily churned out a stream of 4 inch
moist blotting paper, which was dried and
distributed to our passing parade of
visitors. (We had obtained adequate
supplies of snowy white pulp from APM to
keep us going through the weekend.)
We had an enormous throughput of
fascinated visitors, and won kudos from
all those who had claimed that we were
biting off more than we could chew. The
major credit went to Jack Newey for
initiative, stubbornness, skill and
organizing ability. Minimal credit went to
me for my cool attitude at the beginning.
But at least I have remembered it all, and
recorded it for posterity.
Acknowledgements : I thank the
following for helping with historical
research and preparation of this paper :
Bill Balodis, Len Johnson, Ralph Coghill,
Alan Pearson, Richard Shoobridge, Bill
Deal, Kim Brown, Bill Meadows and Roger
Underwood. All errors are my
responsibility.
I was astonished to learn that none of
these informants were aware that the
Model Machine had been in the custody of
APM, even for a short time.
Footnote : I suggest that readers get
access to the document produced by Bill
Balodis (unpubl.), entitled - “The
Chronicles of the Forest Products
Laboratory – 1918-2008” A tribute to the
heritage and history of Australia’s Forest
Products Research over 80 years. It was
delivered at a seminar at CSIRO Clayton
on 18/6/08.
Norman Endacott
nakaenda@tpg.com.au
Bill Balodis: vbalodis@mira.net /
billb@csiro.au
Plate 2 - The Reception Foyer of the CSIRO Forest Biosciences Division adjacent to the
Monash University Campus, Clayton, Melbourne. Photo courtesy of Bill Bolodis 2008.
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
25

IFA remembers
Vince Hervert was born on the 14 th of
August 1927 at a home in Tusarova
Street Prague, part of the newly created
Republic of Czechoslovakia. The son of a
Czech father and German mother he was
one of five kids growing up in a time of
world depression. After his father left
and his mother died in 1938 the kids all
ended up separated, into either foster
care or homes for children. Vince’s life
though materially and socially a step up
was not a life he would have wished on
any of his own children. He spent many
a day walking from one end of Prague to
the other visiting his brothers and sisters,
saving his tram fare for something more
important than transport.
Vince finished primary school then
attended the ‘classical gymnasium’ style
high school where in his own words he
studied ‘handy subjects like Latin and
classical Greek’. While he went through
primary school with high marks he
struggled though high school as the
subject matter held little interest for him.
It didn’t help that the war was on and
the Germans occupied in March 1939.
It was during this time that Vince met up
with the relatives of his guardian, whom
it turned out were forestry folk. He
immediately started spending all his
vacations with them, and having a son
the same age (who is now a retired
forester) their interest in forestry grew
twofold. In 1943 he left high school and
went to a private Forest at Lnare to
undergo two years of field experience
prior to entering formal forestry school.
Those two years were the most
enjoyable of his early life.
May 1945 saw the end of the war, the
Germans retreated and the U.S. Army
arrived. It was a time to remember, free
after six years of occupation and cruel
oppression. The euphoria would only
last three years until the next oppressor
arrived.
Vince then spent four years at the Higher
Forestry School at Trutnov in north east
Bohemia. Good times were had until the
communist takeover in February 1948.
Vince had been an outspoken and active
member of the Christian Democratic
Party so he knew that sooner or later he
would attract attention. May 1949 was
when the crunch came, he was arrested,
interrogated and accused of unfounded
activities such as weapons smuggling.
Eventually he was let go but was then
kicked out of Forestry School two weeks
before graduation, this
despite four years of
passing with distinctions.
So no diploma for all his
hard work and when he
was drafted into the army
and no doubt headed for
places undesirable, he
crossed into West Germany
during September 1949.
He crossed the border with
a good friend, Vaclav Link,
whom he went to Forestry
school with (Vaclav now
lives in Cairns and
remained friends). They
were given train tickets and
access to Reception Camps
by the German police, where
they remained for over
twelve months. Chances to emigrate
were few, and the most likely
destinations were Canada or the USA,
but things moved slowly. In spring 1950
a chance to go to Australia arose and
after a train trip to Italy they boarded a
ship bound for Fremantle.
In Vince’s words ‘ my first impression of
Australia was that of a coastline covered
in stunted scrub’ and upon reaching land
‘ one long wooden jetty and a few tin
sheds’. This was the then port of
Fremantle. It would have been very
different to the forests and cities of
Europe.
After a few weeks acclimatising Vince
then put his name on the list to go to
South Australia where the forest service
was on the look out for labourers in the
pine plantations around Mt Gambier. This
was part of the pay back for the
Australian Government funding the
voyage. After two weeks of hard labour
Vince was picked out by a forester
named Norm Lewis who had heard about
his forestry training, to be part of a
section dealing with working plans. His
training was not recognised as sufficient
to be employed as a forester so Vince
worked there for two years and moved
to NSW where there was a system of
progression to officer status regardless of
a persons attained education level.
Vince studied hard (again) and passed
many state exams and by 1959 managed
to reach the status of professional
forester. In his own words ‘I achieved
this in spite of the system although with
help from a few very good friends’.
Vince moved around the state a lot, from
Vince Hervert
August 1927 - November 2008
Newness near Lithgow, to the plantations
near Orange and the Glenn Innes region
where he served for five years. It was
here he met his wife to be Judith, and
when he left for the hardwood forests of
Batemans Bay in 1958 Judy went with
him. They married in 1959 and by the
time they left the Bay in 1966 had been
blessed with two sons, Stuart and Chris.
The next two years were spent at
Urbenville which Vince loved and Judy
not so much. So from there to the pine
plantations of Moss Vale in 1968, where
Vince and his family stayed for eleven
years. During this time Vince and Judy
had their third child, a daughter named
Leanne, and the family was complete.
Once Vince ran out of substantial
projects in Moss Vale he asked for
transfer and subsequently was promoted
to District Forester at Batemans Bay.
He retired on the 14 August 1987 at the
age of 60 (as was the policy in those
days), after a final two years as Deputy
Regional Forester for the South Coast
Region. As an observer it was obviously
far too early and the sudden removal
from the work force affected him deeply.
It seemed such a waste of knowledge
and human resource. At the retirement
bash many fine speeches were made but
it was a simple yet down to earth remark
by one of the forest foreman that really
outlined Vince’s impact on his adopted
homeland. ‘Vince was the best boss I
had and rue the day he left the region’.
In retirement Vince returned to the
Czech Republic three times after the
Velvet Revolution. He was glad to go
back and see the country free again.
While catching up with his brothers and
26 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER

sisters was extremely important to him
he always said he was glad to come
home to Australia. He travelled many
parts of Australia and he loved to fish,
especially for trout but his real passion
was his family and during this time five
grandchildren were added. In 2002
Vince and Judy moved to Canberra
because of Judy’s ill health, she died in
January of 2003. Vince having
contracted Parkinson’s battled on
bravely till November 2008 when he
Continued from page 13 - MJ progress report
Macquarie University (Banks et al
2007) it needed to be further altered
for use with A. incompertus. This
species of beetle appears to have a
very interesting genome which has
presented certain challenges for
molecular work throughout the last
12 months. This appears to also be
the case for other log-dwelling
beetles (see for example: Schmuki et
al 2006). Although these difficulties
have delayed the completion of the
project, successful results during the
last month (identification of 3
microsatellite containing regions of
DNA) indicate that we have now
optimized the microsatellite isolation
protocol for use in A. incompertus.
With this in mind we have ordered a
new set of reagents and will be
continuing with this protocol over the
next 3 months.
Contingency plan:
During the last 12 months, the first
microsatellite marker set for a beetle
within Platypodidae has been
developed (Takahashi et al 2008). If
we continue to have limited success
with our current protocol, we will trial
other methods and also attempt cross
-amplification of the markers that
have been developed for Platypus
quercivourous in Austroplatypus
incompertus. Given the difficulties
encountered with microsatellite
isolation during 2008, we may also
develop AFLP markers concurrently.
Although the applicability of AFLP
finally passed away. During all this
time he remained at home (as was his
wish) with support from family and
friends. I think in the end he decided
it was time to go, on his own terms. It
was mentioned at his funeral ‘he was a
man born to be in the bush, not one to
look at it through a nursing home
window’. He is greatly missed.
Chris Hervert -
chris.hervert@abs.gov.au
markers is lower, they will still enable
population differentiation to be
examined on a broad scale, offering
an excellent contingency plan should
further microsatellite isolation
attempts prove unproductive.
References:
Banks, S,. Piggott, M,. Williamson, J,.
Beheregaray, L., 2007, Microsatellite
DNA markers for analysis of
population structure in the the seaurchin
Centrostephanus rodgersii. Mol
Ecol Notes. 7, 321-323
Schmuki, C., Blacket, M., Sunnucks,
P., 2006, Anonymous single-copy
nuclear DNA (scnDNA) markers for
two endemic log-dwelling beetles:
Apasis puncticeps and Adelium
calosomoides (Tenebrionidae:
Lagriinae: Adeliini), Mol Ecol Notes,
6:2: 362-364
Smith S. and Stow A. 2008. Isolation
and characterisation of novel
microsatellite loci from the Coppertail
Skink (Ctenotus taeniolatus). Mol Ecol
Notes. 8: 923-925
Takahashi Y., Matsushita, N.,
Hogetsu, T., 2008, Development and
characterization of 12 compound
microsatellite markers in Platypus
quercivorus (Murayama) (Coleoptera:
Platypodidae), Cons Gen, 9:5: 1381-
1383
Shannon Smith -
Shannon.Smith@bio.mq.edu.au
Summary of Email
Bulletins Distributed
Employers Notice Board
31 Employment opportunities
circulated to IFA members
2009 Conference
Sponsorship
Forests & Climate Change
Mitigation - Policy Review
If you are not receiving
your Email Bulletin -
contact the IFA National
office on
IUCN Newsletter
Professional Development
Opportunities in Forest Science
Fellowships available at WFC
CFA Young Forester Award -
competition
Forestry research finds new home
IFA Forest Policy Statements -
members invited to comment
IUFRO International Forest
Biosecurity Conference
ifa@forestry.org.au
RPF Approval
IFA Bulletin Board discussions
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
27

Letters to the Editor
Letter to Editor
I am the Convenor of a catchment management Special Interest
Group in the Institute of Foresters of Australia. Members from a
number of States are involved, including some of our country’s
leading forest hydrologists. Our last meeting was held in
Melbourne in November 2008. We discussed many aspects of
catchment management especially how climate, fire, thinning and
logging may impact on water quality and quality. Most of
Melbourne’s water is sourced from forested catchments.
We were advised by Victorian colleagues that the wildfire control
strategy relied on good access, rapid detection and attack off a
system of firebreaks, with minimal broad-scale prescribed
burning. Backburning was also part of the strategy, but this is
very dangerous to implement under extreme weather conditions.
This is a high-risk strategy, because it will not protect catchments
from high intensity fires burning in heavy dry fuels.
A colleague from Western Australia and I then briefly inspected
the terrain, access, forest types and fuel loads in the Maroondah
catchment of 10 400 ha near Healesville. Undoubtedly some of
these area are difficult (but not impossible) to prescribe burn.,
especially with the very high fuel loads that they now carry. A
report in the Age says that 40% has now been burnt by wildfire.
Colleagues and I have been monitoring the effects of the 2005
Hills fire that burnt about 28 000 ha, mainly within the Helena
catchment. This large fire threatened Perth’s outer suburbs and
was only brought under control when it reached forest that had
been prescribed burnt 18-30 months previously, and the fire
intensity was reduced. Monitoring of burnt and unburnt streams
shows that water yield doubled in winter 2005 but with massive
erosion and loss of water quality. In one stream alone we
removed about 500 tonnes of soil to keep the gauging station
open. The Water Corporation worked extremely hard to maintain
Kalgoorlie’s supply.
I estimate from sample plots that between 1.5 and 2.5 million
trees were killed in this one fire. For many months there was no
birdsong or frogs calling or animal tracks. There was also loss of
aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate biodiversity.
Given our experience and the prevalence of high intensity fires in
south eastern Australia over the past 5 years, we were dismayed
that the Victorian Government would accept a protection strategy
for Melbourne’s water supply which has little chance of success
under bad bushfire conditions.
I reported to the Institute, “ While this strategy will succeed 95
percent of the time, it has been proven time and again, both in
Australia, Europe and California: that suppression efforts will
inevitably fail in areas where access is difficult, under extreme
weather conditions and with multiple sources of ignition. Should
this series of events occur in the catchments, I believe that
Melbourne will face a serious water crisis”
In the reviews ahead I would hope that this is one of many
aspects of bushfire management in Victoria as well as in other
States that will receive detailed attention.
Frank Batini MIFA - fbatini@bigpond.net.au
Willetton, Western Australia
Letter to the Editor - Athol Hodgson
(The IFA National Office has received a huge number of letters
and expression of diverse opinions from members about the
Victorian Bushfires - too many to publish in this publication.
However, I have included the publication of this letter as it was
committed for publication and was received by the Editor
BEFORE the tragic Victorian Bushfire events of Saturday 7
February 2009.
Members wishing to respond to Mr Hodgson’s letter may respond
directly to him or use the IFA’s website Bulletin Board at
www.forestry.org.au) - Editor
Why Victoria’s new Living with Firebushfire strategy will fail
The Victorian Parliamentary Environment and Natural Resources
Committee (ENRC) started an Inquiry into the Impact of Public
Land Management Practices on Bushfires in Victoria in March
2008. It received 257 submissions: 719 proforma submissions;
heard privileged evidence from 202 witnesses representing 139
organisations at 17 public hearings. It made 17 site inspections in
Victoria and 1 in Perth WA. Its Report tabled in Parliament on
26/6/08 made 20 recommendations and 17 findings. In a
Foreword, ENRC Chair said, “the overwhelming view of the
Committee is that the management of our public lands can and
must be improved. In particular, the Committee recognizes that
the Department of Sustainability and Environment must
significantly increase the level of prescribed burning to mitigate
the impact of future bushfires ”.
A recommendation “That in order to enhance the protection of
community and ecological assets, the Department of
Sustainability and Environment increase its annual prescribed
burning target from 130,000 hectares to 385,000 hectares. This
should be treated as a rolling target, with any shortfalls to be
made up in subsequent years”, got strong support from rural
communities who believed something good would happen to
mitigate environmental and infrastructure damage from
devastating bushfires.
On 4/12/2008 the Government gave “support in principle” to 13
and “support” to 7 ENRC recommendations. “Support in
principle ” is defined as “-- the Victorian Government agrees
with the intent of the recommendation, but not necessarily with
the method proposed by ENRC for achieving that outcome.
Alternatively, the Victorian Government may believe that while
there is some merit in the Recommendation, further analysis is
required in relation to some aspects of the proposal” (Foreword
to Response)
The definition is a farce, conveniently ambiguous and deceptive
to the point of arrogance. It allows the Government to pay lip
service only to a recommendation ticked “support in principle” if
it so chooses whilst appearing to do much. One has to ask the
obvious question of why the Government chooses to ignore or
defer the findings of an exhaustive process where key privileged
evidence was given, defining the issues and outlining solutions,
from a range of scientists, professionals and practitioners in the
field. What “further analysis” is going to add to the extensive
body of knowledge currently available that will materially change
the recommendations?
Fine print in the Government’s new Living with Fire bushfire
strategy reveals an intent to defer large scale mosaic burns in
remote areas pending further research or because of lack of
skilled workers. The Government expects to increase the number
of smaller burns around settlements and get kudos from
community consultation “feel-good” factors to justify its stance.
The 2002-03 Victorian Bushfire Inquiry also ignored evidence
and endorsed the same strategy. It failed in 2003, 2006 and 2006-
07 and will fail again.
28 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER

The Living with Fire strategy is air-crane led and offers nothing new
to reduce fuel loads, apes the failed Forest service to Fire service shift
in Mediterranean countries and missed a priceless opportunity to
spend taxpayer money on a strategy that will work. Large-scale
burning and maintenance of access to do it effectively and efficiently
is the proven way to reduce the greatest recurring threat to Victoria
since white settlement, devastating bushfires. It is labour intensive and
must be ongoing. It is also crucial to development of a skilled and
experienced workforce capable of controlling fires from lightning and
other causes when they are small and before they coalesce into
conflagrations like those in 2003, 2006 and 2006-07. When world
leaders are pledging billions to create jobs, the Government failed to
invest heavily in the resource it needs most; more workers keeping
forests healthy and safe.
The Government, shackled to passive management of public land by
the green vote, has consigned millions of hectares of forests and Parks
Interactive discussions
are happening
on the IFA Bulletin Board
right now!
www.forestry.org.au
to future devastating bushfires. Charcoal, ash and mudslides will
continue to choke watercourses, water worth billions will be lost, and
millions of birds and mammals will die. The big beneficiaries will be
contractors paid to futilely bomb flames and clean up the mess.
I would be happy if proved wrong. But I’m backing myself in on this
one. What about you?
http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/enrc for ENRC Terms of reference,
submissions, transcripts of evidence, Report and Government
response.
www.dse.vic.gov.au for Living with Fire—Victoria’s Bushfire
Strategy
( Athol Hodgson Email: atholjoy@optusnet.com.au )
Australian Forestry Journal
Available on-line at the IFA website:
www.forestry.org.au
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
29

We’re
growing
stronger
Institute of
Foresters of Australia
Membership Application
Media
Policy
Scholarships & Grants
Communication
Awards
INSTITUTE OF FORESTERS OF AUSTRALIA
IFA Membership
About IFA
The Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA) is a professional
body engaged in all branches of forest management and
conservation in Australia.
The Institute is strongly committed to the principles of
sustainable forest management and the processes and
practices which translate these principles into outcomes.
Our membership represents all segments of the forestry
profession, including public and private practitioners
engaged in many aspects of forestry, nature conservation,
resource and land management, research, administration
and education.
Membership with us is not restricted to professional
Foresters. Other persons associated with or interested in
the area of forestry are welcome to join IFA!
Membership Benefits
The many benefits of being a Member of the IFA include:
• Employment vacancy notices
• Regular email Bulletins
• Australian Forestry - our own scientific journal
• The Forester quarterly newsletter
• Accreditation as a Registered Professional
Forester
• Professional recognition, including our prestigious
N.W. Jolly Medal award
• Access to scholarships, grants and professional
development awards
• Young Professional (YP) rate for new graduates
• Professional conferences
• Two for one deal for couples
• Student work placement notices
• 50% off for retired foresters.
30 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER

Membership Application Form
Your full name:
Postal address:
P/code:
State:
Town:
Email:
(H)
(W)
Phone:
IFA Membership Grades
VOTING MEMBER
Mobile: DOB:
You are eligible for Voting membership if you:
1. Hold a tertiary degree qualification in forestry recognised
by the Institute together with at least two years
appropriate forest management or forest science
experience and can demonstrate knowledge of and/or
skills in the core subjects of Australian forestry
Or
2. Hold any other tertiary qualification or other relevant
experience acceptable to the Institute together with at
least four years appropriate forest management or forest
science experience and can demonstrate knowledge of
and/or skills in the core subjects of Australian forestry.
Persons holding forestry qualifications of Diploma, Associate
Diploma or Certificate IV will be eligible providing they meet the
following forest management or forest science experience:
Diploma = 6 years, Associate Diploma = 8 years and Certificate
IV = 10 years.
Employer:
Membership Level:
Voting member
Associate member
Associate member (Young Professional)
(See Membership Grades)
Applications received during December 08 -
March 09 are 50% off.
I would like to upgrade to:
Documentation: I have attached:
A copy of my educational qualifications & a summary of
my forestry experience/interests
Note: No charge for first 12 months of Student membership
Payment by: Cheque (enclosed)
Mastercard/Visa
Membership Fees
ASSOCIATE MEMBER
You are eligible for Associate membership if
you:
1. Have an interest in forestry
Or
2. Have other relevant experience in
forestry
STUDENT MEMBER
You are eligible for Student membership if you
are attending as a full time student in your first
undergraduate formal course of forestry related
study at any University or Tertiary institution
recognised by the IFA.
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
Student member; Expected grad. Year:
Being completed at:
Course:
Membership grades of the IFA are:
2008 - 09
Grade $
Voting $145.00
Fellow $145.00
Associate $145.00
Associate (YP rate) $36.50
Name on card:
Card number: / / /
Expiry: /
Amount $
Declaration and credit card authorisation:
I declare the above details to be correct and that I agree to be bound
by the Memorandum & Articles of Association and Regulations of the
Institute. (A copy of these documents is available on the IFA website at:
www.forestry.org.au). I authorise the Institute of Foresters of Australia to
debit my credit card as completed above.
Grade $
Student $22.00
Retired $72.50
Couple concession $145.00
Signature: Date:
Send Application Form and supporting documentation
to: IFA, PO Box 7002 Yarralumla ACT 2600
31

IFA Merchandise
Get yours today!
Name
Address
State
Phone
Email
Great new release, bucket hat.
Protect your ears face and neck when
out in the sun. Light Beige colour with
Green and black print with black trim.
Sizes
XS/S L/XL
Note that hats will shrink in wash
New design of this popular item. Black
with green print front and back with a
white trim. Adjustable to fit any size.
A fantastic compilation of field
experiences collected by George Baur
from observations and research from
the earliest times through the 1980’s.
Describes some of the morphological
characters and physiological reactions
of the eucalypts. By M.R.Jacobs.
Green hard cover book
Written in the jubilee year for the IFA,
The Foresters tells important things
about forestry in Australia through the
lives of a number of early notable
Australian foresters. By Athol Meyer
ABN 48 083 197 586
ITEM: Institute Bucket Hat QTY
Price: $25.00 (including P&H & GST)
ITEM: Institute Cap
Price: $25.00 (including P&H & GST)
ITEM: Silviculture Notes for NSW on CD QTY
Price: $35.00 (including P&H & GST)
32 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 - MARCH 2009 THE FORESTER
QTY
ITEM: Growth Habits of the Eucalypts QTY
Price: $32.00 (including P&H & GST)
ITEM: The Foresters QTY
Price: $20.00 (including P&H & GST)
Originally compiled for the reunion ITEM: History of Australian Forestry School
of 2000, it stands as a reminder of
the significan contribution which the AFS
made to the establishment of the
professional forestry education in Australia,
NZ and the South East Asian regions
Price: $10.50 (including P&H & GST)
Complete the QTY above and fill in your contact and payment information below and forward to:
Post code
Method of Payment
Cheque enclosed
Visa
MasterCard
Credit Card #
Signature
Exp. date
QTY
By post:
Institute of Foresters of
Australia
PO Box 7002
Yarralumla ACT 2600
By Fax:
(02) 6281 4693
By Email:
ifa@forestry.org.au