As hosted by Forestry Australia
Responsible Wood Sustainability Manager Matt de Jongh will chair Koala Research in NSW Forests webinar featuring Dr Brad Law and Dr Leroy Gonsalves of the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
Date: Wednesday 8 June
Time: 12:30pm – 1:30pm (AEST)
RFP CPD points: 1.0
About
Koala Research in NSW’s Forests: Brad will provide an overview about the recent koala research by NSW DPI. The research has been multi-faceted and has developed new acoustic based surveys that have proved very effective in detecting male koala bellows in the breeding season. The research began with regional scale occupancy surveys over hundreds of sites on both public and private tenures. This has been followed by site scale investigations using density estimates from acoustic arrays before and after timber harvesting and the black summer fires. Finally, GPS-tracking has provided detailed information on how individual animals use the forestry landscape. Ongoing monitoring of occupancy in north-east NSW is broadly tracking the status of the species over time.
Law et al. 2022 Regulated timber harvesting does not reduce koala density in north‑east forests of New South Wales, click HERE.
How does fauna respond to mechanical forest fuel reduction and burning?: Australia is the most bushfire-prone continent. Several treatment options are available to land managers seeking to reduce fire risk, including prescribed burning and mechanical thinning, both of which can change fire hazard by reducing fuels, though this may be dependent on the extent to which residues are removed following mechanical treatment and fire weather conditions. Leroy will provide a report on the short-term effects of thinning, burning and a combination of both on habitat structural complexity as well as direct responses of birds, bats and ground mammals on the north coast of NSW.
Registration: (Inc. GST)
Forestry Australia Member: $10 | Non-Member: $50 |Student Member: Free
Registrations close: Tuesday 7 June at 10:00am (AEDT)
About the Presenters
Dr Brad Law
Brad is a Principal Research Scientist at the Forest Science Unit of the Deptartment of Primary Industries focusing on ecologically sustainable forest management practices. Brad has over 30 years of experience in forest wildlife ecology and has published more than 150 peer reviewed papers. Brad’s research covers all types of wildlife including bats, pygmy possums, Hastings River Mouse, eucalypt flowering and nectar and most recently koalas. He has co-supervised a number of postgraduate students investigating a range of ecological topics. Brad is co-editor of Australia’s oldest zoological journal: Australian Zoologist Since 2015, koalas in the hinterland forests of north-east NSW and use of passive acoustics have been a major research focus.
Dr Leroy Gonsalves
Leroy is a Research Scientist in the Forest Science Unit of the Department of Primary Industries. His research focuses on the responses of fauna to forest management and disturbance, in particular thinning and fire. Leroy also undertakes spatial modelling (species occupancy and habitat models) for threatened species and more recently has worked to develop single species recognisers for automated identification of acoustic forest monitoring data. Leroy is the current Vice-President of the Australasian Bat Society – the peak body that aims to promote the conservation and study of bats across Australasia.
About webinar Chair – Matt de Jongh
Matt is the Sustainability Manager for Responsible Wood and holds a Bachelor of Science (Forestry), ANU and a Graduate Certificate in Business Management, UNE. Matt is a forester with over 20 years’ experience in both operational and policy roles. As an operational forester for about 11 years, Matt managed both native and plantation forests, with Forestry Corporation of NSW, in various locations throughout regional NSW, also spending time on a secondment to the NSW Natural Resources Commission to assist with the management of the state wide NSW Forest Monitoring and Improvement Program.
In forestry policy Matt has worked for both the Australian Government and the Australian Forest Products Association. Matt has developed strong stakeholder engagement skills, not only as a forester, but also in the six years spent as Local Area Manager for the NSW Local Land Services, working closely with a variety of stakeholders including Landcare groups, landholders and the agricultural industry.
Matt is passionate about promoting and communicating sustainable forest management and advocating for the environmental, social and economic benefits associated with forestry.
