Organisation

From 1950 a strong research focus develops, with Walter Zimmer in the lead role, and he went on to establish what would become a very strong Research Branch. (In 1957/58 a Forest Research Branch first appears in the organisation chart of the FCV, as a consequence of the major FCV wide organisation implemented at that time.)

"In 1950 Walter relocated to Head Office in Treasury Place, Melbourne as Silvicultural Officer and, in the early 1950s, set about establishing the Forest Commission’s Research Branch, which had its beginnings in the basement of a building at 188 King Street. Here under his guidance another visionary, RJ Grose, set about unravelling the laboratory germination characteristics of Victorian eucalypts (among many other studies), assisted by young foresters, several committing their careers in forest research with high distinction." (B&L Dexter) By 1983 the Branch had a complement of close to 60 scientific and technical staff qualified in a range of disciplines.

In 1993/94 that the Branch underwent a major transformation into the Centre for Forest Tree Technology (CFTT). The vision for CFTT was to maintain in the long term a team of multidisciplinary scientists and skilled technical services required by Government and industry in the management of natural and plantation forests in Victoria and beyond. This required a strategy to secure a significant portion of funding requirements from the private sector (including Japanese Trading Houses) and Commonwealth agencies along with service agreements with the Department itself for research and technical services.

Accordingly, CFTT was set up as a Business Unit (the business name was registered with the Corporate Affairs Office on 26 April 1993) within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (CNR) with a view of attracting more external funding to support and add value to research funding from CNR. In the first year of operation, CFTT attracted over $600,000 in revenue from external consulting and research services.

To meet the new requirements of CFTT, laboratory facilities and general working conditions were improved. For the first time in the history of Forest R&D in Victoria, a lot of effort was spent on securing Commonwealth Government and private funding for overseas projects. This was a very successful initiative, with significant contracts for research being awarded to the Centre for forestry projects in countries including Pakistan, China and Indonesia. It lifted the profile of the Centre and gave participating scientists and technicians of forest research institutes in the host countries a challenging but rewarding experience. It also enhanced the skills of participating CFTT staff, which benefited a range of Victorian Government studies.

CFTT used its resources to service the scientific and technical needs of the Forest Service and the Government and at the same time efficiently deliver quality research and consulting services to the private sector. There was an expectation that the expertise of CFTT, which was progressively becoming strongly oriented towards plantation forestry, would stimulate increased private sector investment in plantation forestry in Victoria. There is convincing evidence that this objective was accomplished for the new hardwood plantation estate.

The Research Branch of the FCV, and subsequently CFTT, had a long history of a close and beneficial relationship with the School of Forestry at the University of Melbourne. In the late 1990s there were a number of informal meetings canvassing the possibility of the two entities forming a strategic alliance. Such an alliance would, among other things, significantly broaden the expertise base for basic and applied research, provide enhanced academic opportunities, provide industry and Governments with vastly improved research and development services, improve technology transfer and increase opportunities for funding of forest and ecological services from Commonwealth agencies, State Governments, and local and overseas industrial organisations operating in natural and plantation forests.

In early 1998, the formation of a strategic alliance between the two entities was recommended. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the formation of the alliance was drawn up and ratified by NRE and the University of Melbourne. The MOU had a five year life span and stated, among other things:

• The objective of the alliance would position the new centre as a major force within Australia and the Asia Pacific region in applied and strategic research on forest issues by better meeting training and research needs of policy makers and other clients in an integrated manner.
• Staff transferring to the Centre would continue to be employed by the two parties on their current terms and conditions.
• I would be appointed as Interim Director for 6 months from the date of commencement of the new Forest Science Centre (FSC).

In 1999, there was a Government wide downsizing of staff. Few sections were exempt from this directive and CFTT lost nine positions as part of this process. In the absence of the alliance, CFTT would have been below critical mass. This further vindicated the formation of the new Centre which was to be based at Creswick. To this end, DNRE agreed to fund new laboratories and office space at Creswick. This was accomplished in late 1999 and provided the campus with world class facilities.

On 15 March 2004, Prof. Kwong Lee Dow, Vice Chancellor of Melbourne University, wrote to the Secretary of the then Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) confirming that the two parties had agreed on the establishment of the Forest and Ecosystem Sciences Institute (FESI) to replace the FSC. The University also accepted responsibility for the site at Creswick and that the responsibility for the Crown land will transfer to the University. Prof. Lyndsay Neilson, Secretary of DSE, signed off on these and other proposals in the March 2004 letter.

Forest research capacity collapsed at State and Federal levels across Australia in the early to mid 2000’s. Whilst FESI has also lost positions over the last few years, it remains a viable Institute to provide strategic R&D services to policy makers and industry on a wide range of disciplines.

Documentation

The work carried out by the Research Branch of FCV from the early 1970’s was recorded in numerous internal reports, published technical papers and bulletins covering virtually all projects in plantations and native forests. As an example, 350 Research Branch Reports were written between March 1971 and March 1992 (McHugh 1992). A significant number of these internal reports were published in peer reviewed journals. Indeed, a heavy emphasis was always given to external publication of appropriate reports and presentation of papers at national and international conferences. This systematic reporting of R&D was instigated by Fred Craig who appointed a scientific editor to maintain a uniform high quality of reporting of forest research for distribution within FCV. This system of reporting R&D was maintained by David Flinn who was in charge of forest research during the successive institutional changes over the next two decades. The numerous reports produced over almost 40 years became an exceptional record of forest research in Victoria. The importance of this work was recognised by the Bureau of Resource Sciences who funded the preparation of a ‘Compendium of Forest Research in Victoria’ as a record of the historic R&D that formed the knowledge base of forest management in Victoria (Murphy et al. 1998). A similar document was prepared in 2011 by Turner et al. titled Management of Victoria’s publicly-owned native forests for wood production: A review of the science underpinning their management. This 216 page report is an excellent example of how an extensive and sustained R&D program enabled the native forest estate to be managed according to well established scientific principles. It greatly assisted VicForests in obtaining certification.

Whilst Research Branch Reports and Bulletins were dominant in the documentation process, there are a further three series that warrant a brief mention.

Forestry Technical Papers (FTP) were first published by FCV in April 1959. In the first instance, they were aimed principally for Departmental circulation. However, as the series matured, FTP’s became focused on informing not only FCV staff but also the broader community on a wide cross section of scientific issues. Many of the articles in the more recent volumes of FTP included Research Branch Reports which underwent a more rigorous editing process prior to publication. The series was discontinued in June 1986 following a Departmental restructure.

Research and Development Notes (R&D Notes) were an initiative of the Forest Research Branch in response to District staff requesting scientific information on issues of internal and/or community concern covering native forests and plantations. These 2–4-page fact sheets were produced at very short notice and were made widely available to staff and the community. They proved to be exceedingly popular. Many of the R&D Notes remain relevant to the present day.

Research Activity was a series published by FCV in the mid 1970’s. They provided an annual summary of the range of studies conducted during the year. Many of these studies were subsequently expanded and produced as Research Branch Reports or published in appropriate scientific journals. A notable feature of the annual editions was the relatively large group of scientists and technicians employed by FCV covering a wide range of disciplines (including environmental, silvicultural, genetics, insects, diseases, management and recreation). The Forewords to each Research Activity by Dr F Moulds, Chairman of FCV, are instructive, reflecting the serious consideration that FCV took to addressing community concerns about forest practices.

Collectively, the suite of reports and publications demonstrate the commitment taken by FCV to forest research, including a significant focus on impacts of forest activities on a wide range of environmental values.

In response to a strong demand from planation owners and the agroforestry sector, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) published a booklet titled “Forestry in the Agricultural Landscape: A review of the science of planation forestry in Victoria” (Turner et al. 2004). This booklet cites over 130 studies, a large proportion by FCV/CFTT scientists, and provided those involved in private forestry access to the best available science on a wide range of issues including:

• Greenhouse implications
• Soil disturbance and erosion
• Planation soil chemistry
• Water values
• Pests and diseases
• Chemical inputs: and
• A range of socio-economic issues

Australia, for over two decades, had a process in place to ensure open and timely co-operation between State and Territory forest research agencies, CSIRO, Universities and industry. The process was called the Research Working Group (RWG) system. There were around ten RWG’s covering most aspects of forest science. Each Working Group met bi-annually to review the status of research for the individual areas of forest science, and to make recommendations to the Standing Committee on Forestry (SCF) on issues of national or regional importance. The process was coordinated by the Directors of Research Committee (DORC), comprising Directors of research in the State and Territory agencies, who vetted the RWG recommendations and reported directly to SCF on strategically important issues identified by each of the Working Groups. It proved to be a very successful model for timely communication between research agencies and SCF. The FCV Research Branch was strongly committed to the process through membership of all Working Groups and a member of DORC. SCF took the advice of DORC very seriously.

Forest research by FCV and the Departments that followed always had a strong commitment to collaboration with a wide range of research bodies including the two CSIRO Divisions of Forestry and Forest Products. This was seen as an opportunity to add value to the overall research program by accessing (often at no cost to the State of Victoria) expertise not available in-house. This collaboration included many projects and major research initiatives including the East Gippsland Silvicultural Systems Project (SSP), the East Gippsland Regrowth study and the Trees for Profit program. Victoria also regularly commissioned CSIRO to undertake reviews of high-profile forest science issues. An example is the strategic scientific review of the environmental impacts of broadscale application of a commonly used fire retardant. Such consultancies were managed by the Victorian Director of Forest Research who prepared the brief and oversaw the preparation of a final report. There is no question that this collaboration and interaction with CSIRO in particular significantly enhanced the quality and depth of science applied to particular research projects, bringing new skills to Victoria in a cost-effective manner.

References

McHugh, B. 1992. Index of unpublished forest research reports March 1971-March 1992. Department of Conservation and Environment, Forest Research Section, Research Report No 350, 53pp.

Murphy S, Polak-Scowcroft C, Coy R (1998) Compendium of Forest Research in Victoria: Published, unpublished and research in progress. Bureau of Resource Sciences, Department of Primary Industries and Energy, Canberra, Australia, pp. 275. (ISBN 0-642-47505-9)

Turner, J, Wareing, K, Flinn, D and Lambert, M 2004. Forestry in the agricultural landscape: A review of the science of plantation forestry in Victoria. Dept. of Primary Industries, 53pp. (ISBN 1 74146 129 4)

Turner J, Flinn D, Lambert M, Wareing K, Murphy S (2011) Management of Victoria’s publicly-owned native forests for wood production: A review of the science underpinning their management, Forest and Wood Products Australia, Project Number PRC 147-0809, pp. 216.