Avelile Cishe, Regional Representative of the International Forestry Students' Association.
Two forestry students from South Africa recently attended the 51st International Forestry Students' Symposium in Germany. The students, Avelile Cishe from Nelson Mandela University and Siyanda Mbadamana from Fort Cox Agriculture and Forestry Training Institute, represented their respective universities, as well as other forestry institutes in South Africa including Stellenbosch University, University of Venda, University of Pretoria, and University of Mpumalanga.
The Symposium is the biggest annual meeting of the International Forestry Students' Association (IFSA). It is a platform for forestry students from all over the world to come together to learn about the latest trends in forestry, network with their peers and share ideas.
The theme of this year's event was ‘Transforming forestry – getting ahead of current and future challenges’. The students discussed a wide range of topics, including climate change, forest management, and sustainable forest products. They also had the opportunity to visit several forests and forestry research centers in Germany. This gave them a firsthand look at the different ways that forests are managed in Germany.
Forestry students from around the world gathered in Germany.
“The Symposium was a great opportunity and an amazing experience to network with other forestry students and learn about the latest trends in the field. We learned so much about forestry and we met some great people from all over the world,” said Avelile.
Their attendance at the symposium was made possible with funding support from Nelson Mandela University, Fort Cox Agriculture and Forestry Training Institute, and the Germany Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
Avelile and Siyanda said that they will be sharing their learnings and experiences with all the forestry universities in South Africa.
Soil sampling infield.
Report by Avelile Cishe, Regional Representative of the International Forestry Students' Association.
Top NMU forestry & wood tech students applauded
Top achievers in Forestry, Wood Technology and Veldfire Management at Nelson Mandela University’s George campus, and staff members.
A special awards ceremony was held at the Nelson Mandela George campus recently to acknowledge the top achievers in Forestry, Wood Technology and Veldfire Management.
“Today we celebrate your excellence, hard work and perseverance shown during the period of acquiring your qualification, and we encourage you to continue and be responsible ambassadors of our institution and carry the Nelson Mandela University name with pride in the work place and communities you will serve in,” said Forestry Department head Tiaan Pool.
In the Forestry Diploma, Benjamin Ringwood received the award for best student in Forest Engineering, Forest Management and Fire Management modules, whilst Mushaisano Ndou and Sandisiwe Langman received awards for best students in the Silviculture and Human Resource Management modules respectively.
In the Wood Technology Diploma, Mponeng Pina received an award for the best student in Timber Seasoning and Iviwe Dangazela for Timber Processing.
In the Higher Certificate in Veld Fire Management, Hlobisile Madlala and Amanda Rodo received awards for the best students.
The Nelson Mandela Forestry Association committee which served in 2022 was also recognised for their excellence in leadership. The committee members were Avelile Cishe, Lelonathemba Ndaleni, Ronewa Sathuma and Minenhle Machi.
Focus on Forestry is back!
This ‘big daddy’ wheeled harvester from Tigercat attracted a lot of attention at the 2019 Focus field day held at White River, Mpumalanga.
The good news for forestry stakeholders is that the Focus on Forestry Conference and Expo is back after a four-year hiatus.
It will be held over three days from 7-9 November 2023 at the Karkloof Country Club in the KZN midlands. Save the date and dust off your boots, the organisers have promised an action-packed programme of presentations, an exhibition and a field day at a nearby Sappi plantation.
Focus on Forestry 2023 is organised by CMO, Nelson Mandela University and Forestry South Africa. It has been the premier get-together for forestry stakeholders in Southern Africa for a number of years. The last event was held at White River in Mpumalanga back in April 2019. Then COVID-19 came out of nowhere, shutting down public events, disrupting business and impacting almost every aspect of our lives.
Since then virtual events have become the norm, but they don’t quite hit the spot as the most valuable part of real live gatherings is the opportunity to exchange ideas face-to-face, network and socialise with forestry colleagues from near and far.
Focus is targeted at a broad range of stakeholders including forest landowners and growers (large and small), managers and contractors, while also offering valuable insights to academics, researchers, consultants, training providers, governmental organisations and services and equipment suppliers into the industry.
Demonstrating a planting rig at the 2014 Focus event held near Piet Retief, Mpumalanga back in 2014.
The breakdown of the event is as follows:-
07 to 08 November (Karkloof Country Club) – conference and exhibition.
09 November: Focus on Forestry Field Day and Demos – Sappi plantation close to the conference venue.
More detailed information will follow soon, including registration information for delegates, exhibitors and sponsors. Early bird registrations will be discounted, so watch this space!
This looks risky, but it’s not. Fogmaker about to demonstrate the power of its on-board fire suppression system at the 2019 Focus event at White River.Foresters checking the log quality after a de-barking demo during the Focus field day at Hilton, KZN in 2017.Michal Brink and Andrew McKuen of CMO, organisers of a number of Focus events over the past 10 years.
NMU students representing Africa at international conference
(Left to right): Ronewa Sathuma and Avelile Cishe (NMU), and Irene Mathabela (DFFE Representative) at the International Forestry Students’ Symposium in Chile.
Two Forestry and Wood Technology students from Nelson Mandela University (George Campus) recently attended the 50th International Forestry Student's Symposium in Chile. This is one of the world's most prestigious forestry student events. The main aim of the event was to learn about forestry and the management of natural resources of Chile, with specific focus on the sustainability of the forest sector. Furthermore, the event was aimed at networking and exchanging ideas among different delegates from all over the world.
Delegates from over 30 countries including Germany, Czech Republic, Romania, Estonia, United Kingdom, Canada, Finland and Slovakia attended the event. NMU forestry students Avelile Cishe and Ronewa Sathuma represented South African and African students at the conference. This was made possible by funding assistance from the Nelson Mandela University, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environmental (DFFE), South African Forestry Contractors Association (SAFCA), Hans Merensky, and Forestry South Africa (FSA).
Some of the topics that were discussed in the congress included the future of forestry in the world, climate adaptation strategies, forest certification systems, wood science and wood products in support of the green economy, climate-smart forest technologies, forest trade and governance, water quality, and higher education policy and development. These topics are of significant value to the South African forestry industry.
"The South African forestry industry plays a positive role in the climate debate and other global environmental concerns like that of water quality and soil degradation," said Avelile, President of the NMU Forestry Students Association, who gave a presentation at the conference about the role of forestry in solving major environmental threats.
Participating in a tree planting event at the IFSA symposium.IFSA Symposium delegates got together for a group photo.
Avelile Cishe with the full Symposium programme.
Preparing for the next mega fire
In the line of fire …
‘Preparing for the next Mega Fire’ is the theme of the 13th Fire Management Symposium, scheduled to be held at the Nelson Mandela University’s (NMU) George Campus from 23 to 25 November.
Effective wildfire management is impeded by a lack of integration between research results, technological development, and efforts by fire managers. In the end all strive to prevent, suppress and protect the environment, human wellbeing, and assets against wildfire.
This event aims to integrate the efforts of natural resource managers, engineers, and scientists through an integrated approach.
The Symposium will bring together fire managers and authorities from different disciplines and land uses including nature conservation, agriculture, disaster management, forestry and local authorities, for a range of informative presentations and exciting networking opportunities.
The choice of George as a venue to host the Symposium is appropriate as it is situated in the scenic southern Cape which experienced one of the worst fires in the history of South Africa on 7 June 2017. Exactly one year later another mega fire swept through the Southern Cape, so this region knows all too well about wildfires.
The George campus is also the venue for the highly acclaimed Fire Management programme offered by NMU which equips aspirant foresters and land managers with a deeper understanding of fire dynamics and the practical application of fire risk reduction, fire management and suppression.
The Symposium brings together top rated international and South African-based fire management specialists who will share their expertise in a very practical and applied manner. Internationally renowned fire scientist Prof Pete Fule will deliver the first keynote address.
The 2nd day of the event is a field day that will provide opportunities for Symposium participants to visit the Southern Cape region to observe the unique vegetation and take note of fire related issues - hosted by the Southern Cape Fire Protection Association.
For more information contact tiaan.pool@mandela.ac.za or Hannes.vanZyl@mandela.ac.za or sonia.roets@mandela.ac.za.
NMU’s top students in Forestry, Wood Technology & Veld Fire Management
Top students celebrate with NMU staff (right to left): Dr Muedanyi Ramantswana (Forestry programme co-ordinator), Hannes van Zyl (Veld Fire Management programme co-ordinator), Lelonathemba Ndaleni, Buseka Bhebhi, Likho Ndevu, Luphumlo Tomana, Zizipho Pikashe and Richard Muller (Wood Technology programme co-ordinator).
A special awards ceremony was held on April 7 at the Nelson Mandela University George campus to recognise the top student achievers in Forestry, Wood Technology and Veldfire Management.
“You have shown excellence in your academic studies during a difficult time of the COVID pandemic,” said Forestry programme coordinator Dr Ramantswana in his address to the students at the awards ceremony. “We encourage you to continue on this trajectory in the workplace and other spheres of society.”
Three forestry diploma students were recipients of the special awards: Sanele Xulu received the award for best student in Forest Engineering, Silviculture and Human Resources modules, whilst Buseka Bhebhi received the award for Forest Management and Lelonathemba Ndaleni received the award for Veld Fire Management. Top students in the Wood Technology Diploma programme were Zizipho Pikashe who received an award for the best student in Timber Seasoning and Likho Ndevu was the top student in Timber Processing. In the Higher Certificate in Veld Fire Management, Luphumlo Tomana (full-time programme) and Renier Groenewald (part-time programme) received top student awards.
Masters student graduates cum laude Phozisa Dlokweni (aka ‘Phozy’), from Ngceleni village in the Eastern Cape, graduated with an MSc Forestry (cum laude) at the recent NMU George Campus graduation ceremony.
Phozy (26) completed her MSc in record time and attributed her success to the assistance she received from her supervisors, Muedanyi Ramantswana, Raffaele Spinelli and Andrew McEwan.
Phozisa ‘Phozy’ Dlokweni graduated with an MSc Forestry cum laude, in record time.
Phozy said her passion for forestry comes from her father, a forestry contractor, and her uncle who is a forester. She is currently an intern at the University of Pretoria in the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), employed as a field extension officer.
After matriculating at Maclear High School, Phozy enrolled for the extended Forestry Diploma programme at the George Campus. The following year she bagged several distinctions in the mainstream Forestry Diploma programme after which she excelled in her BTech in Forestry, with core modules in Forest Engineering, Silviculture and Veld Fire Management.
In 2020, Phozy enrolled for an MSc in Forestry. Her research thesis focused on assessing the productivity and volume recovery of mechanised harvesting in a pine fire salvaging operation in the Eastern Cape. She plans to start her PhD in forestry soon.
“My supervisor, Dr Muedanyi Ramantswana, has been my role model and encouraged me to work hard and be dedicated,” said Phozy. “The experience gained at the University during my internship and research at MTO Cape, has augmented my academic journey as a life changing experience that I will forever cherish,” she says.
Phozy also enjoys reading, outdoor adventure, volunteering in community upliftment projects, travelling and is a true sports fanatic.
International collaboration boosts forestry education
Five South African universities have partnered with local and international stakeholders to introduce cutting edge, climate-smart forestry and entrepreneurship to their forestry courses. Norman Dlamini of Forestry South Africa (FSA) explains the aims and objectives of the programme, known as FOREST21:-
What is FOREST21? FOREST21 is a collaborative project between South Africa, Finland and Norway titled “the 21st Century Climate-Smart Forestry Education for Livelihoods and Sustainability in South Africa”. The FOREST21 initiative is a capacity-building project in the area of higher education, involving the five South African higher education institutes offering forestry qualifications as well as two universities in Finland and one in Norway. The FOREST21 initiative has three core pillars: climate-smart forestry, forestry entrepreneurship and student-centred teaching methods.
The project is generously co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union to the tune of € 999, 965.00 and will be officially launched on 14 April 2021, although the logistical aspect of the project started in mid-January.
Who is involved? The project was conceptualised by FSA in a bid to improve the economic and environmental contribution of the industry to South Africa’s wellbeing. FSA played a coordinating role in packaging the proposal. There are eight core FOREST21 partners: Aalto University, Fort Cox Agriculture and Forestry Training Institute, Häme University of Applied Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Nelson Mandela University, Stellenbosch University, Tshwane University of Technology and the University of Venda. These work alongside FSA and several associate partners, including education authorities in South Africa like the Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation (DHESI), Council for Higher Education (CHE), South Africa Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and the Fibre Processing and Manufacturing Sector Education Authority (FP&M SETA); other key universities in the area of climate change - Witwatersrand University (WITS), University of Pretoria (UP), University of Mpumalanga (UMP) - and key stakeholders, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Forests Industry in South Africa, Finland and Norway and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE).
Why is an international approach so vital? An international approach offers the opportunity of establishing partnerships and friendships that go beyond the remit of the original programme and will almost certainly outlive the three-year lifespan of FOREST21. There is also the co-generation of knowledge, the value of which should never be underestimated. The FOREST21 European partners are recognised as leaders in their field, bringing these trend leaders to assist South African higher education institutions to build local capacity in these areas of interest will improve the global competitiveness of the South African forestry industry. This willingness of our international collaborators to offer their expertise to this programme and assist South African HEI’s reform their curriculum will benefit South African learners for generations to come.
We must not forget the forestry landscape in South Africa covers five very diverse provinces and this is represented by the five South Africa higher education institutions spanning Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and the Western Cape. In many ways, connecting that talent found within each of these institutions is very much like an international experience in itself.
The benefits from this international approach are already materialising, from the conception of this project in 2019 and the flurry of emails, digital meetings (before they became mandatory) and telephone calls with the core partners that proceeded; we have already learnt a lot from one another and the experience to date has been nothing but extremely positive. Since the announcement in July 2020 that funding was granted, knowledge transfer has increased exponentially and the network has widened with new associate partners coming on board in November 2020. All these benefits have been realised before the project officially launched, so I am incredibly excited to see what the future has in store.
George campus of Nelson Mandela University, previously known in forestry circles as ‘Saasveld’.
What is hoped to be achieved? The overarching project aim is to improve the forestry curriculum offered in all five institutions of higher education offering forestry programmes in South Africa.
FOREST21 will mainstream important concepts like the implementation of climate-smart forestry along the value chain while championing entrepreneurial innovativeness in forestry education. Through a countrywide curricula reform of forestry education at higher education institutions the FOREST21 project looks to equip graduates with problem-solving skills, an entrepreneurial mindset and climate-smart thinking. While curriculum improvement will not be uniform through all the universities, each participating university will choose what to implement from the pool of generated knowledge and package it to suit their local context.
FOREST21 also seeks to improve interactions amongst South Africa’s universities, as well as between them and the wider forestry industry, and ultimately promote international partnerships that will help shape the future of South African forestry.
Why is it important that we teach entrepreneurship at university? Like in many other African countries, and indeed around the world, the education system in South Africa traditionally teaches us to become better workers, but not necessarily creators of job opportunities and certainly not creators of new products and services that could solve the challenges humanity currently faces.
As more people add their voice to the need for educational reform at higher education institutions, we can no longer ignore their point that traditional educational systems were designed to produce glorified labourers, who cannot help themselves if no one employs them. While this might sound very harsh, especially to anyone who had to work incredibly hard to earn their qualification, the comment is supported by the ever-increasing number of struggling, unemployed university graduates in South Africa year after year – rich in many years of expensive university education, but financially broken.
For many, entrepreneurship seems to offer a solution to South Africa’s triple ills of poverty, unemployment and inequality. As such, it is a solution that needs to be thoroughly investigated and hopefully implemented. Closer to home, the forestry industry needs graduates that are innovative to solve the real-work challenges in this volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world. This was highlighted in a study by Magaga and Scholes (2019) that found the forestry industry in need of graduates that will be innovative, proactive, and have a reasonable level of autonomy and competitive aggressiveness to take the industry a step further. All this is aligned to cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset among the graduates while they are still training. On a personal note, I believe entrepreneurship training should start earlier in the schooling system but ensuring this is the case at a university level is a good start.
Norman Dlamini, FSA Director of Business Development.
What is climate-smart forestry? The time to stand together, globally, to respond to the threat posed by climate change is now – it is our responsibility, not just to our children and future generations of their children who will inherit the earth one day from us, but to every living organism that inhabits the earth.
The role of forestry in this is becoming ever more prominent and as such, climate-smart forestry has never been more relevant. Climate-Smart Forestry is a targeted approach to increase the climate benefits from forests and the Forest Sector, in a way that creates synergies with other needs related to forests. The definition may sound complex but it can be simplified to the Sector’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase its efforts mitigating against climate change.
In many ways, South African forestry is ahead of the game having embraced sustainable forest management many years ago. Today, over 80% of plantation forestry area in the country has been certified by the international Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) as sustainably produced timber, something as a country we should take pride in. As a sustainable, renewable industry that actively sequestrates carbon, the sector offers numerous potential solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and is already seen as having a central role in South Africa’s green economic recovery and circular economy.
How will the students benefit? There are several ways students will benefit, both immediately and in the future. Immediate benefits will see 80 students, ten from each of the participating universities, selected to be part of this initiative. These students will work as international teams of learners, contributing and testing the knowledge generated as the new curricula are developed. They will also be involved in solving real-life problems experienced by the Forestry Industry, which will require teamwork and international collaboration. Perhaps, most excitingly for those involved, they will participate in the activities hosted by each of the partnering universities. This will see students globe hop from a curriculum development workshop in Evenstad, Norway to two pedagogical workshops in South Africa, one in Thohoyandou and the other in George. Then there is a climate-smart workshop in Hämeenlinna, Finland, followed by a forestry entrepreneurship workshop in Helsinki, Finland, before the closing workshop in Pretoria, South Africa. While COVID requirements are in the back of everyone’s mind and plans are being made, for now only the initial kick-off next week planned for Stellenbosch has had to be digital.
For the students involved, this is a huge opportunity affording them unrivalled networking experiences, as well as a host of transferable skills as they develop the various aspects of entrepreneurship such as problem solving, innovativeness, proactiveness and competitive aggressiveness. They will be exposed to leaders in their field and knowledge gained from the frontiers of global forestry.
More importantly, they will make an immeasurable contribution to the improvement of curricula for the students that will follow them. The contribution of this class of students also extends to sharpening the skills of the academic staff in offering excellent student-centred teaching and learning that is customised to the local context. There is no doubt that upcoming students will benefit from this immeasurably, with the improved curriculum ensuring they are better equipped to respond to the challenges of climate change and other unforeseen events.
How will the industry benefit? The forestry sector too will see both long- and short-term benefits of this project.
Short-term, during the duration of FOREST21, FSA members can host international teams of FOREST21 participants to solve real problems. Providing them with access to the collective wisdom of South African and international experts, lecturers and students, all intent on finding innovative, workable solutions.
In the medium to long-term, they can expect generations of forestry graduates ready to actively contribute to the world of work as a proactive, innovative, problem-solving asset to the industry. They will be able to co-create partnerships with higher education institutions that look to continue to strengthen the calibre of student graduating way beyond the three-year lifespan of the FOREST21 project.
The industry is already a major employer of those living in the rural communities that neighbour the forestry landscape. Working with newly qualified graduates with entrepreneurial skill sets, the Industry will be able to increase the impact it has in these communities.
How will South Africa benefit? As a nation with a young population, we need to start seeing the youth of today as the leaders of tomorrow. They are the individuals who will take South Africa forward and dictate the nation our country becomes. When looking for future leaders, trendsetters, innovators and great minds of tomorrow, one of the first places to start is our country’s universities – it will be the students of today who will shape the South Africa of tomorrow.
The FOREST21 programme acknowledges this, seeking to ensure the students of today are given the correct entrepreneurial skill sets to face the global challenges of tomorrow (and today) like climate change. So while they are the major beneficiaries of the project, indirectly the whole country will benefit from tomorrow’s leaders being better equipped to face the challenges of today, tomorrow and in the future in a way that is both sustainable and ensures South Africa remains globally competitive.
Ultimately the hope is that FOREST21 interventions will increase employment opportunities for forestry graduates, as well as those graduating in other disciplines who adopt similar curriculum revisions upon the success of this initiative, thus aiding in the reduction of the current 32.5% unemployment rate. FOREST21 should help reduce the average age class of South African entrepreneurs, currently set at 45 - 54 years old according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, by introducing entrepreneurism as a feasible concept in the minds of the graduating youth. We also hope, that by providing graduates with the skill sets required for entrepreneurs we can improve the survival of new enterprises in South Africa beyond the seemingly unbreakable 42-month ceiling. Perhaps most importantly, FOREST21, and the graduates that result from it, will play a major role in South Africa’s response to climate changes and the mitigation strategies put forward.
