Students exposed to forestry careers

Almost 200 students from Casterton, Hamilton and Portland descended on the Casterton Racecourse last Thursday to explore forestry career opportunities in the Green Triangle.

Students witnessed an up close waterbombing from the Green Triangle Fire Alliance’s helicopter, which has been based in Casterton over the summer.

On display were some of OneFortyOne’s and Timberlands Pacific firefighting trucks. The fire prevention arsenal has been active throughout the fire danger season, protecting lives, property and the forestry estate.

Students also travelled out to a clear fell operation, being conducted by Merrett’s Logging. There they witnessed the operation up close, showcasing some of the impressive equipment that is used across plantations in the Green Triangle. saw a single-grip harvester, forwarder, loader and B-Double.

Students were able to hear firsthand from a team of experienced operators about the nature of work in the industry, and the vast range of opportunities available to people working in the industry.

Forestry directly employs 10,000 people across the Green Triangle, and a further 20,000 induced jobs. A range of positions are open with tertiary, vocational and unskilled pathways on offer, in the forest, harvesting, milling and cubic sectors.

For every cubic metre of timber harvested, 700kg of carbon dioxide is sequestered out of the atmosphere.

Every year, more than 10 million trees are planted into the estate, to replace the trees that had been harvested. The trees planted this year, won’t be ready for harvest for more than 30 years. This ensures an industry full of potential and longevity for young people entering into the workforce.

Hub general manager Tony Wright said it was important they showcase some of the exciting career opportunities to students as they consider their opportunities.

“The forest industry is international and there are many exciting opportunities from professional, business, all aspects of STEM, operations and advanced machine processing,” he said.