1. Main Hall, Transnet Freight Rail-Esselenpark, Kempton Park
The South African Academic Environment Supporting Forestry Industrialization: Forestry Education Trends
SAFCOL Forestry Industrialization Conference 4-5 October 2017
Main Hall, Transnet Freight Rail-Esselenpark, Kempton Park
Paxie W Chirwa
SAFCOL Forest Chair
Plant & Soil Sciences Department

2. Outline Introduction Job market and the changing role of foresters
How about the Curricula: Is the product we are producing ready for the job market?
General sequence of formal education and how it links with forestry education
The Link to the National Qualification Frameworks
Priority needs in forestry education
Reason for lack of students
Future Outlook
The future with forests: Bio-economy
New products, new material, new opportunities
So what is the future of forest education?
Suggested Solutions

3. Introduction
… the proportions of students studying forestry with a commercial or an environmental focus are changing all the time. From a pure commercial focus 20 years ago it changed to a 50/50 focus during the boom years, but now is moving back to a dominant production focus as students see better job opportunities in the commercial sector.

4. Introduction In NZ +ve Demand was a function expanding forest industry
+ve demand for courses related to resource management and environmental sustainability.
-ve enrolment for courses on sawmilling and timber processing despite a demand from the industry for skilled timber workers such as saw doctors and timber machinists.

5. Introduction
Since the 1990s, 30% decline in No of individuals registering for traditional forestry programme
Any increments lately is influenced by China
Africa especially trends were high with a few exceptions (CBU, Za)
Green (2006) reported that of the 21 schools rated and approved by the society of American Foresters in 1935, only 12 of these were still accredited.
In some cases numbers are rising substantially. For example, educators in Ireland have seen a move to forestry courses as a direct result of the collapse of the construction industry and the Irish economy.

6. Job market and the changing role of foresters
Major changes in policies and attitudes towards forestry and foresters and thus affecting forestry education:
A renewed emphasis on livelihoods and agricultural production to address food security
Tree planting has moved very strongly from establishment of forest plantations to ToF, out-grower schemes etc
Greater emphasis on the roles of communities in forest resource management.
Investment in forest industries has slackened, reducing the demand for both logging expertise (in the traditional sense) and wood technology experts.

7. How about the Curricula: Is the product we are producing ready for the job market?
Forestry Sector Skills Development Forum (Launch 2007)
Institutions presented their programs
Main recommendation was to have a generic forestry training as opposed to specialized directions
Many forestry curricula are patchworks, new areas of study such as biodiversity, social and community forestry, agroforestry, etc., are opportunistically added on to existing programmes without due consideration for the overall direction of forestry programmes.
The need to add soft skills such as team leadership, communication and people management.

8. General sequence of formal education and how it links with forestry education
Forestry certificate holders are expected to serve as foremen (leaders of teams of workers) in forest operations
Diploma holders are sub-professional technicians, able to supervise several teams and be involved in planning operations.
Certificate and diploma holders would be expected to advise and support farmers in tree planting activities (e.g to our Forests under Land Claims).

9. National Qualification Frameworks (NQF)

10. SU Curriculum BSc (For & WSc) For & Nat Res
1st year
Mathematics & Natural Sciences
Biology
Chemistry
Mathematics
Physics
 Forest Intro
Computer L
2nd year
Biometry Intro
Biometry Application
WP Anatomy & ID
WP Chemistry & Preservatives
WP Physics & Wood Drying
Computer Skills
Soil Science Intro
Forest Mensuration & Inventory
Nat Forest Ecosystems
Intro Genetics
Geography & Env. Studies (GIS)
3rd Year
Biometry Inference
Growth Yield Science
Finance, Economics, Policy & Marketing
Silviculture I
Timber Harvesting
Genetics Intro
Soil Science
WP Wood Adhesives & Composite Products
4th yr
Silviculture II
Silviculture III
Forest Management & Planning
Forest Roads & Transport
Practical
Industry Psychology
WP Wood Products Manufacturing
WP Bioenergy
Forest Management Plan

11. SU Curriculum Wood & Wood Products Sc.
1st year
Mathematics & Natural Sciences
Applied Maths
Engineering Chemistry
Engineering Drawings
Engineering Maths
Strength Materials
Forest Intro
2nd year
Forest Mensuration & Inventory
Industrial Programming
Product Management (Production & Operations Management)
Professional communication
WP Anatomy & ID
WP Mechanics of Wood Products
Wood Chemistry
WP Physics & Wood Drying
3rd Year
Engineering Statistics
Growth Yield Science
Finance, Economics, Policy & Marketing
Silviculture II
Industrial Management
Operations Research
Quality Assurance
WP Wood Adhesives & Composite Products
4th yr
Experiential Work
Research & Management Project
Industrial Ergonomics
Quality Management
WP Wood products Manufacturing I
WP Wood Degradation and Preservation
Bionenergu

12. University of Venda YEAR ONE
Foundational courses – Physics, Biology, Economics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Statistics, English, Genetics
YEAR TWO
Forest ecology and tree identification
Wood Anatomy and Properties
Introduction to Forestry engineering
Wood and non-wood-based materials
YEAR THREE
Sawmilling
Forest Resources Assessment
Forest Policy
Silviculture of planted forests
Forest Protection
Logging and Roads
YEAR 4
Agroforestry
Forest Conservation
Community Forestry
Timber transportation and planning
Silviculture of natural forests
Project and seminar presentation

13. Diploma & BTech (NMU) The following are the modules: Group 1
Year: 1
Year: 2
Year: 3
Cost And Management Accounting Ii
Cost And Management Accounting I
Forest Practice I
Forest Engineering Iii
Forest Botany I
Forest Practice Ii
Forestry Finances Ii
Forest Ecology I
Forest Management Iii
Computer Usage I
Human Resource Management Ii
Forest Engineering I
Forest Economics Ii
Forest Engineering Ii
Forestry Law Ii
Forest Management I
Forest Protection Ii
Human Resource Management I
Fire Management Ii
Environmental Management Ii
Silviculture Iii
Fire Management I
Forest Mensuration Ii
Silviculture I
Forest Utilisation Ii
Silviculture Ii
The following are the modules: 
Group 1
Silviculture
Forestry Engineering 
Forest Management 
Forest Protection
Group 2
Environmental 
Business management
Human Resource Management
A student chooses four modules in order to complete a B-Tech qualification. One can choose to do all four modules in group 1, or choose 3 +  one module in group 2 or choose two modules in each group.

14. Experiential learning placement
Fort Cox
YEAR 1
SEMESTER 1
SEMESTER 2
Forest Botany
Silviculture I (Nursery practice)
Basic Scientific Concepts
Forestry Engineering I
Applied Mathematics
Introduction to Soil Science
Forestry Seminars (Report Writing and Presentation)
Land Information Systems
Introduction to Forest Economics
Human Resource Management
Computer Applications
Forest Management I
Introduction to Forestry (Field work Practical 1)
YEAR 2
Silviculture II
Forestry Engineering III (Forest roads and logistics)
Community Forestry
Forest Management II
Forestry Engineering II (Timber Harvesting and Work Science)
Integrated Natural Resource Management
Forest Policy and Law
Soil and Water Conservation
Tree Improvement and Forest Health
Forest Fire Protection
Forest Mensuration and Inventory
Forest Economics
Forest Product Processing
YEAR 3
Experiential learning placement

15. Priority needs in forestry education
Tree and forest systems outside forests
knowledge in the larger field of natural resource management
Recognition that forests go beyond the domain of traditional timber management
Basic understanding of ecological processes and functioning of tropical forest ecosystems and influencing socio-economic factors
Participatory methodologies and interactive learning skills
Driving forces of agrarian and natural resource production systems
Enterprise education and communication skills
Typology of tree formations (in-and-outside forests): agroforestry, farm forestry, etc.
Collaborative management models and institutional analysis in NRM
Gender equity, access to and natural resource benefit sharing
HIV/AIDS impacts on natural resource management
Resource and land tenure regimes
Forest certification schemes and their potential impact on productivity and profitability
Criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management,
Impacts of globalization, climate change,
Biotechnology on forest and tree management

16. Reason for lack of students
A poor image of forestry industry: exploitative, academically unchallenging, male-dominated,
A lack of awareness among school and local authority career advisors
A perception of poor career prospects in terms of finding jobs, levels of pay, conditions of employment, career advancement and job satisfaction
A decline in student interest in studying science subjects at university compared with degrees in the arts, humanities and social sciences
A growing estrangement from the countryside of urban youth resulting in a waning interest in working in the rural economy.
(Innes 2010; Smith 2012):

17. Future Outlook

18. The future with forests: Bio-economy
“Humanity will likely use more wood in more ways as the future unfolds. If production forests are managed sustainably and wood products are used efficiently or replace others with a heavier footprint, this should be good for the planet” (WWF 2012 The Living Forest report)

19. The future with forests: Bio-economy

20. New products, new material, new opportunities

21. New products, new material, new opportunities

22. New products, new material, new opportunities

23. So what is the future of forest education?

24. Suggested Solutions
Changing the name of the programme to change its image. E.g. forestry with other activities -the School of Forestry and Natural Resources
Amalgamating forestry programmes
Restructuring programmes to broaden the discipline and make them more relevant, such as adding more business courses, communication and leadership, and social courses
Highlighting the use of technology in the sector to counter the image of being primitive technologically
Expanding the programme to incorporate an additional year of industry placement as part of the educational process

25. References
Innes, J.L Professional Education in Forestry. Commonwealth Forests (Chapter 5). Commonwealth Forestry Association, UK.
Smith, M Latin America: Forestry Education Searches for a Bridge to the Future. Southern Hemisphere Forest Industry Journal, 17(4): 8-12.
Glen Murphy (2013) International trends in forestry education NZ Journal of Forestry, Vol. 58, No. 1
Temu et al 2005 Forestry Education in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia:Trends, myths and realities

26. Siyabonga!!!