FGR were excited to hold our annual conference in the Southland Otago region this year in Dunedin on the 22nd-24th October. This year’s theme, Resilience through Innovation, provided an update on FGR’s main research programmes, showcasing the collaborative work with industry, government and other stakeholders that is supporting the sector and its transformation.
The three-day event incorporated a diverse range of topics and activities, including presentations from over 40 speakers, Panel Q&A sessions, and Otago Forest field trip, with plenty of networking and engagement opportunities throughout. Check out the highlights of the conference including speaker presentations and photos, and click on the links below.
FGR Conference Presentations
Day 1 – Tuesday, 22nd October
Session 1 – Welcome and Overview
• Mayoral opening address – Deputy Mayor, Cherry Lucas
• Forest Growers Levy Trust (FGLT) – Peter Clarke
Session 2 – FGR Research Programmes – Showcasing Innovation – Chair, Jason Syme
• 21st Century Tissue Culture – Alison Slade
• Harvesting and Automation – Keith Raymond
• A diverse forest industry – Marco Lausberg
• Precision Silviculture and Data Management – Claire Stewart
Session 3 – The multiple aspects of resilience
• Biotic: Pest profiling – Steve Pawson
• Market: Barriers to import substitution – Karen Bayne
• Operational: Contractor models – Oscar Montes
• Cultural: Co-designing with Maori in the Precision Silviculture Programme – Doug Macredie
Session 4 – Navigating the challenges to resilience – Chair, Andrew Cridge
• Biotic: Red Needle Cast Management – Stuart Fraser
• Water availability: Forest flows – Dean Meason
• Licence to operate: Management of slash – Keith Raymond/Campbell Harvey
• Licence to operate: Wildings – Thomas Paul
Day 2 – Wednesday, 23rd October
Session 5 – Innovations in Genetics/Deployment – Chair, Paul Adams
• Enhancing GxE Analysis in Radiata pine with Enviromics – Duncan McLean
• Enhancing the cypress estate – Vaughan Kearns
• Hybrid pines – where have we got to, where are we going? – Acacia Farmery
• Mechanised Planting in NZ – Carol Rolando
Session 6 – Product Innovations – Chair, Mark Ross
• Local wood processing – John Fairweather
• Wood product innovation challenge – Thomas Lim
• The Future of Wood – Daniel Gudsell
Session 7 – Innovating for the future Part 1 – Chair, Debbie Ward
• Distributed processing opportunities – Marc Gaugler
• Redwood innovation strategy – Rob Webster
• Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI) – Patrick Mitchell
• Virtual Reality in Thinning Training and Future Forest Design – Claire Stewart/Elizaveta Graevskaya
Session 8 – Innovating for the future Part 2 – Chair, Alison Slade
• Gene editing – Glenn Thorlby
• Climate response through innovation in forestry – Emily Telfer
• Threats and opportunities for AI – Grant Evans
• Value of individual tree data – Jack Palmer
FGR Conference Pictures
