by Richard Moore

A diverse and enthusiastic group of 15 participants made for a highly successful Master TreeGrower course in Northam recently.  The participants, mostly owners of lifestyle blocks in the York, Northam and Toodyay districts, were eager learners who made the most of the opportunities to make new contacts, gain new ideas, have fun and talk with the other participants about how they might use trees to meet their own particular interests and circumstances.  As one participant said to me partway through the course, “I can’t wait till next week – there’s so much information and it’s a wonderful way to network with like-minded people.“

Other feedback from participants at the end of the course included:

• This has been one of the best executed and most important courses I have ever done.
  
• Can I do it again!?
  
• An amazing experience, the best course I have ever done.
  
• Really interesting and insightful farm visits – seeing people’s dreams and ideas become reality, learning from their success and failures.
  
• I have learned more on this course than any other.

Course participants visited more than 20 properties over the eight days of the course.  On each occasion the owners shared their practical tree growing and revegetation experiences, outlining both successes and failures.  The visits revealed the wide range of approaches to using trees and the diversity of benefits including, shelter, salinity control, biodiversity, beautification, forage and timber.  The range of topics covered was also broad, ranging from bio-char to fire protection and from growing sandalwood to tree establishment techniques.

Many people contributed to making the course such a success.  In particular I thank Natarsha Woods, CEO of Wheatbelt NRM, for the generous use of her meeting room and other facilities.  Her staff, Jo Wheeler and Leigh Whisson in particular, assisted greatly with aspects such as catering and transport.  Rowan Reid, who coordinates the course nationally and internationally, joined the course for the last two days and added another level of experience to the discussions.  I also thank the many landowners who gave their time and shared with the group their journey with trees.  Finally thanks to the participants; in the end they are the ones who made the course what it was.  And as Rowan Reid says in his new book – Heartwood: The art and science of growing trees for conservation and profit - “trees for positive change in rural landscapes is about people.”

Photo Left.  The Master TreeGrower group looking at the tree planting machine at Andrew & Lisa West’s property, Meckering.

Photo right.  David Collins, Greening Australia, talking about planting techniques.

Book review by Richard Moore

​The life story of a forester, fascinating insights about growing trees, and innovative concepts about community development – it’s a winning combination bound to engage.  Heartwood: The art and science of growing trees for conservation and profit by Rowan Reid is a satisfying read with new ideas for farmers, tree-changers, conservationists, land managers, educators and scientists alike.

Rowan’s work as a forester has led him to teach and work with farmers around the world, and he draws on these diverse experiences throughout the book.  And it was during his 20-year tenure as a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne that he started to develop his ideas on how to help landowners learn about and use trees for conservation and profit.

In 2010 Rowan won the Australian Eureka Prize for Excellence in Environmental Education with his Australian Master TreeGrower Program for landowners.  He continues to oversee this program nationally and internationally through the not-for-profit organisation Australian Agroforestry Foundation, of which he is a director.  Rowan also has his own property, Bambra Agroforestry Farm, adjacent to the Otway Ranges in southern Victoria.  Over the past 20 years more than 10,000 visitors have toured this outdoor learning centre. 

Heartwood describes important people, conversations and moments along the author’s journey as he develops ways to help landowners learn about and use trees to meet their own particular needs and circumstances.  It’s a story not of an expert spreading his knowledge but rather the dynamic project of engaging with others in their challenges on the land.  The book’s personable tone endears readers both to the author and to his philosophies – and they are philosophies that sometimes challenge accepted views.

The 300-page hardcover book is richly illustrated with coloured photographs and wildlife illustrations, with diagrams making the data more digestible.  While the 15 chapters are each themed around a different tree species, mostly Australian, these are not prescriptive – often the title species serves just as a jumping off point to explore a whole range of topics spanning social, historical and scientific.

And so the book has three strong and interwoven themes – contemporary social issues such as the environmental movement, the science that underpins the wise use of trees in rural landscapes, and the author’s personal story.  The skilful weaving together of these three separate but interrelated themes has produced something quite special – a narrative with a rich context, absorbing connections and valuable insights.

Rowan’s vision is of a more resilient, diverse and prosperous rural landscape – a landscape in which trees have a vital role in providing a multitude of benefits for landowners and for their communities – benefits that range from land protection to shelter, from biodiversity to timber.  The book provides insight into the out-reach programs Rowan has developed - programs that help landowners gain some of the skills and contacts they need to feel confident about investing in trees and revegetation.  

Heartwood, like Rowan’s approach in the field, recognises that most landowners care deeply about the land they manage – and that they would like to hand it on in a better shape than when they received it.  It also recognises that what happens in rural and forested landscapes is – at its core – about people, and people’s hopes and aspirations.  

Heartwood showcases the diversity of ways in which trees can and are being used by landowners to bring about positive change in rural landscapes. It recognises that there’s heart, art and emotion to living with trees, and that, to use Rowan’s own words, “as growers, we are part of the story”. 

Signed copies available from the author:  www.agroforestry.net.au

Report by Richard Moore

Fire was the main theme of the combined SWAN/Master TreeGrower course field day held in the Toodyay district on Saturday 26 August 2017.

Various perspectives on fire in bushland were presented at the Dawn Atwell Reserve.  

Greg Warburton (above), Reserves Management Officer with the Shire of Toodyay, outlined the history of the Reserve.  With his Toodyay Naturalists’ Club hat on, he explained that the Club was pleased with the mild winter burn conducted in the Reserve the previous year.  Read more >>

Roger Underwood (below), a well-known forest practitioner with prodigious experience in fire and forest management, outlined his views on bushfire protection and wandoo regeneration.  His main point was that wandoo forest, like all eucalypt forests, is bush-fire prone and that to clean away fuels, should be burnt with a mild burn every few years.  He favours light patchy burns done during warm, sunny days in winter.  Read more >>

​Brett Beecham (below), ecologist with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, described some adaptions of flora and fauna to fire.  He also outlined some of the challenges confronting fire managers, including weeds and the effects of long-term fire exclusion.  Read more >>

Greg, Roger and Brett led the 30 field day attendees on a walk through the bush, stopping to look at a variety of features, including plants coming up after the recent mild burn, fire scars on wandoo trees from past bushfires and the mosaic of burnt and unburnt areas. 

Fire protection
After lunch John Hansen, Bushfire Risk Management Planning Coordinator with the Beverley Shire, and Tyron McMahon from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, led a discussion on bushfire protection.  With the aid of graphic videos, John and Tyron stressed the importance of having a plan of what you would do in the event of a bushfire.  They also highlighted the importance of revisiting the plan every year, preferably involving all the family.

John led the group on a walk around his property looking at the still obvious impact of the severe bushfire 8 years earlier.

Toodyay Community Nursery
Bethan Lloyd, EO with the Australian Sandalwood Network, showed the group the Toodyay Community Nursery.  She explained how the nursery relies to a large extent on volunteers.  They grow mainly local native species and make them available in early winter for purchase by private landholders and for free for community projects.  Read more >>

The National Mallee fowl Recovery Team
Liz Kington, WA Project Officer with the National Mallee fowl Recovery Team, spoke about the Mallee fowl Project.  The national experiment aims to determine how best to manage Mallee fowl across Australia.  Liz’s work will involve making sure that the project gets the data it needs from the field through community and government monitoring of Mallee fowl mounds in the chosen paired sites.  Read more >>

Special thanks go to Greg Warburton for all he did in helping to set up the day, including assisting with lining up presenters, sites and a caterer.  Thanks also to all the presenters - Bethan Lloyd, Roger Underwood, Brett Beecham, Liz Kington, John Hansen and Tyron McMahon.  

As one of the attendees said, “It was great to hear the range of perspectives on a complex and important topic”.

Report by Richard Moore

SWAN held its Annual General Meeting in the Anglican Church hall in Toodyay on Saturday 26 August.  It was a delightful early spring day and about 30 people had gathered for the combined SWAN/Master TreeGrower course field day. 

Annual General Meeting 2017
Nine AFG members attended the AGM.  They were Clare Kent, Connie Winch-Buist, David Gardner, Des Donnelly, Duncan Beggs, Marty Winch-Buist, Peter Huf, Richard Moore and Ruth Gardner.  In addition there were proxy forms from David Humphreys, Gary Brennan, Ian Hall and Peter Beatty.  The following matters were dealt with:

AGM 2016 minutes.  The minutes of SWAN’s AGM held at Halls Head on 19 August 2016 were adopted.

Election of office bearers 2017.  Nominations were called for and the following members were elected to the SWAN Committee:
President – Duncan Beggs
Secretary/Treasurer – Gary Brennan
Committee members – Clare Kent, Peter Beatty, Bob Hingston, David Humphreys, Greg Hodgson, Tim Mitchell, Marty Winch-Buist, Connie Winch-Buist, Alan Briggs and Ian Hall.  

President’s report.  Duncan Beggs had distributed his report to members prior to the meeting.  In his report he:

• Thanked the various contributors to SWAN individually.
• Reported that he was pleased with progress over the year.
• Highlighted the current FPC consultancy looking at the Royalty for Regions funding allocated to the Forest Industries Working Group.
• Underscored the lack of funding SWAN is likely to be facing by the end of the year. 

The meeting adopted the President’s report which will be attached to the Minutes of the meeting, and circulated to all financial members. 

National Forest Industries Plan

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced the development of a comprehensive plan to support the growth and sustainability of the Australian timber industry over the coming decades. In presenting the keynote address at the Australian Forest Products Association Gala Dinner at Parliament House, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull committed to a National Forest Industries Plan.

“Tonight I am pleased to announce I am requesting Anne Ruston to help us develop a new Government Plan that will underpin growth in the renewable timber and wood-fibre industry and work with a new government plan to give you the vision and certainty you need. We are committed to developing this industry as a growth engine for regional Australia.’’ 

Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Anne Ruston said the Australian Government saw a bright future ahead for forest industries.

“The Australian forest industry directly provides tens of thousands of jobs, many of which support rural and regional communities.” Minister Ruston said.

State Forest sold in Tasmania

Tasmanian Resources Minister Guy Barnett has announced that the government is selling the forestry rights to some plantations as a means of putting Sustainable Timber Tasmania – formerly Forestry Tasmania – “back onto a commercial footing”

With the sale of 29,000 hectares of public forestry assets, the state government has announced it will invest $15 million of the $60.7 million windfall into the state’s ailing health system.

Mr Barnett said the sale had followed the government instructing STT’s board to conduct a “competitive national and international sale process” in 2016.

Now, the rights to the plantations have been purchased by Reliance Forest Fibre, whose parent company is the Cayman Islands-incorporated Global Forest Partners LP.

“GFP has a long history of sustainable forestry investments in Australia and this investment represents its first in Tasmania – a further sign of growing confidence in the Tasmanian forest industry,” Mr Barnett said.

Timber Co-operate set up in QLD

Two regional not-for-profit groups have received AU$200,000 from the Commonwealth Government’s Farm Cooperatives and Collaboration Pilot Program, known as Farming Together. 

The groups, NSW’s Subtropical Farm Forestry Association, NSW and Queensland’s Specialty Timber Growers Incorporated have united under the brand Quality Timber Traders (QTT) to improve small-scale grower marketing power and find outlets for selling their timber. 

Carol Neal, president of the Queensland group said: “Many individual small-scale growers across Queensland and New South Wales established mixed cabinet timber species with a view to harvesting the trees for their high-value timber. 

“Many growers are unaware of the challenges they will face finding harvesting contractors, negotiating fair prices for harvest operations, transport, milling and processing their timber. Most growers will also have small volumes of timber. Small sales may be achieved, but their combined volumes should allow them to enter larger markets,” she said. 

QTT aims to generate interactive web-based databases for participating growers. 

The Farm Co-operative and Collaboration Program is a two-year, AU$13.8m initiative from the Australian Government designed to help agricultural groups value-add, secure premium pricing, scale-up production, attract capital investment, earn new markets or secure lower input costs. For more information on this Program, visit www.farmingtogether.com.au

​​Don't forget to like the SWAN Facebook page for regular updates on forestry and timber topics. We include a selection of the more popular stories in each newsletter.

Barkskins - from Annie Proulx
Review by Rachael Wedd

​
Well, here is some spring reading for you - all 713 pages of it!  Curl up in a comfy chair and enjoy this work of well-researched historical fiction.

Barkskins are woodcutters.

This story follows the lives of two young Frenchmen and their descendants and weaves together their stories, the discovery and development of logging in Canada (primarily), the cultural annihilation of various indigenous peoples and the emergence of modern forestry practices. 

This novel really reverberated with me, after all my years of working with mining and Aboriginal people - seeing the environmental and cultural impacts that a resources based industry has and what can happen without appropriate management and future needs thinking.

The mindset "it has always been there, it cannot run out" - anything for a dollar - is the basis for most of this novel, but it's not a preachy story. Yes, it shows greed but it also includes hope. 

FPC have recently printed brochures listing all the small hard and softwood timber mills across the South West.  Bennetts in Picton are keen on any 30yr+ med sawlog and in particular keen on C maculata and  E saligna.
 
A number of smaller companies (and exporters) are starting to emerge and fill that niche gap not occupied by the larger hardwood mills. 

Growers can contact Greg Hodgson,  Senior Forester Plantations, Forest Products Commission, Robertson Drive, Bunbury WA 6230 for a copy of the list of mills. Ph:   +61 8 9725 5246

​Australian Allwood Coppicing and Pruning Services was founded in August 2006 in Albany, Western Australia. Founders Simon Wilkinson and Warren Marshall saw the need for a safer, more reliable service for the blue gum coppicing market and quickly found a niche in being able to commercially thin pine’s, prune timber, maintain and remove unwanted woody weeds and road verge timber.

Australian Allwood Coppicing and Pruning Services offers a safe, efficient and productive mechanical alternative to timber cutting in the form of coppicing, thinning and pruning of softwood, hardwood and woody weed populations.  This is all possible from the cab of a fleet of mini excavators using a unique, AACPS designed Track-Saw. This attachment is the subject of an International patent application.

The "Track-Saw" fleet is comprised of 3 tonne, air conditioned, Caterpillar mini excavators paired with the unique, AACPS designed, chainsaw attachment. All machines have TOPS and FOPS structures and run on rubber tracks.

The cutting head is attached to the excavator and has the ability to rotate 160 degrees horizontally, left to right. The bucket lifting ram has been left in place to be able to tilt the head up or down using the excavator controls allowing a variety of cutting positions. With hydraulic modifications, the attachment functions are all controlled from the cab.

When attached to the mini excavators, the machine has the capability reach of cutting up to 5.1 metres high, or similar in outreach.

Machine dimensions makes manoeuvrability performance very high as it is only 1.65m wide with zero tail swing, allowing greater access to tight areas. The "Track-Saw" performs on steep hillside slopes while carrying out it's various tasks.

They can also perform stump spraying using a spray head and tank, fire break maintenance, post fire rehabilitation tasks and other ancillary services because of the flexibility of our machines and attachments. More info on website www.aacps.com.au

The Blackwood Basin Group has recently taken over the running of the Guesthouse at Perup from DPaw.

Surrounded by the 56,000 hectare Tone-Perup Nature Reserve, Perup: Nature’s
Guesthouse is one of the best places in Western Australia’s south west to see native wildlife including numbats, ringtail and brushtail possums, quenda, woylies and chuditch.

Perup: Nature’s Guesthouse was first established as a research base by the Forest Department to facilitate research into the fauna and flora of the Upper-Warren area in the 1970s. Since then, the centre has been expanded to incorporate accommodation for groups, individuals and families. Under the management of theBlackwood Basin Group, Perup: Nature’s Guesthouse is once again welcoming guests for a unique wilderness experience.  There are 2 cottages that can sleep 7 people each and a group accommodation complex that can sleep up to 37.

Perup: Nature’s Guesthouse is run by the Blackwood Basin Group Inc., a community managed landcare group that works to protect and enhance the environmental values of the Blackwood River catchment. By staying at Perup: Nature’s Guesthouse you will be directly supporting the Blackwood Basin Group to achieve its goals.  To learn more about the Blackwood Basin Group go to www.blackwoodbasingroup.com.au

In July 2016 around 20 landowners and SWAN members helped Shannon and Nicky plant 7000 spotted gum (corymbia maculata) on their property near Margaret River.  The trees have taken off now and have transformed the property. 

In July 2017, 4 mentors helped Gail plant,stake and guard 1500 Sydney Bluegum (eucalyptus saligna)on her property in Yelverton