Live forestry events and field days take a back seat to the Corona virus, so there are no opportunities for foresters to ‘chew the fat’ and kick tyres with friends and colleagues at forestry events this year. They’re all on hold, postponed or going virtual.

Covid virus lockdown and business disruptions have seen a number of forestry events cancelled, postponed or going ahead as a ‘webinar’.

The FSA AGM, originally scheduled for May 7 at the Fern Hill Hotel in Tweedie, has been postponed until further notice.

The 13th Veldfire management symposium, scheduled to take place on the George Campus of the Nelson Mandela University on 18-20 November 2020, has been postponed to November 2021.

“With the COVID-19 lockdown and the uncertainties surrounding the outcomes of our academic programme, as well as the lockdown status of South Africa, we had no other choice,” said symposium organiser Tiaan Pool.

The 31st annual meeting of the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme, based at the University of Pretoria, took place on May 12 as a ‘virtual’ internet-based seminar using Zoom and Microsoft TEAM platforms.

The virtual meeting was a resounding success with more than 250 delegates from SA and 12 countries participating.

The three-day programme was condensed into a 6-hour symposium, which included presentations and panel discussions under four broad themes:

• Industry-University partnerships in a post Covid-19 world;
• Tree health in a changing world;
• From basic research to application;
• Big data, biotechnology and the future of tree health management.

With the next Focus on Forestry Conference scheduled for 2021, it’s going to be a long wait before forestry folk can get together, network and catch up with friends and colleagues in the real world.