Forest Products Industry

Young women in regional NSW are exploring future careers in forest firefighting at fire camps across the state. The ‘Fire Up Girls’ Fire and Resilience Program is run by not-for-profit organisation Girls On Fire delivering fire and disaster management training to women aged 15 to 19 years. Source: Timberbiz Fire camps have been staged in Tenterfield, Casino, Lismore and Moree with camps to follow in Dubbo, Eden, Cobargo, Jindabyne and Tumut. Forestry Corporation is proud to partner with Girls on Fire in building self-confidence and resilience in young women through fire training. Founded by Fire and Rescue NSW Fire Captain Bronnie Mackintosh, Girls on Fire aims to increase diversity and build resilience within emergency services. “By giving young women these real-world skills today, we are preparing them to be tomorrow’s emergency services personnel and community leaders,” Ms Mackintosh said. “With a new bushfire season ahead, it’s never been more important for us to be ready, and it’s vital we equip the next generation to lead their communities. “These camps help young women discover just how capable they are. By challenging themselves with fire and emergency scenarios, they walk away with the confidence to tackle anything.” Statistics show women make up 5% to 7% of Australia’s firefighting workforce. Forestry Corporation’s Amba Addinsall said the organisation, as one of the state’s four firefighting agencies, is proud of its gender diversity on the fire lines. “This summer Forestry Corporation will have 519 firefighters rostered on to respond to the state’s forest fires and proudly around 20% of our firefighting workforce are women,” Ms Addinsall said. Forestry Corporation’s Tamara Reinhard and Renee Lawlor said the day camps at Caino and Lismore were hugely successful. “Volunteering for the day camps was an incredibly rewarding experience. It was so inspiring to see the girls grow in confidence throughout the day, form social connections and experience the camaraderie of working together in simulated emergency situations,” Ms Reinhard said. “Feedback from the girls was that the activities were fun, informative and exhilarating. They enjoyed using the live reel on the Cat 9 and the hands-on approach to the day.  If you get the chance to participate in these day camps, as a volunteer or a student, we highly recommend you sign up – it’s a great day out.” Forestry Corporation’s Kristen Coady said preparations are underway for the Dubbo fire camp on 7 November. “This will be the second time we’ve participated in the Dubbo camp. It’s a great initiative, and we’re looking forward to sharing our firefighting experience with a new group of young women. We want to send them home with some valuable skills and hopefully some enthusiasm for forest protection,” Ms Coady said. The Fire-Up Girls Fire and Resilience Program is free to participants and has received funding through a NSW Government Investing in Women grant. All young women are welcome to attend, with special encouragement for young women and teens from First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Camps will be held in Dubbo on 7 November, Eden on 18 November, Cobargo on 19 November, Jindabyne on 21 November and Tumut on 27 November. For more information go to www.girlsonfire.com.au

The Victorian Forest Products Association (VFPA) has warned the outlook for the fire season in Victoria, particularly in western Victoria, is looking particularly dire, with record low rainfall and low soil moisture readings creating ideal conditions for bushfires. Source: Timberbiz “All the Bureau of Meteorology’s predictors in the western part of Victoria are showing a drier than usual lead up to the fire season, with soil moisture low, and a high fuel load ringing alarm bells for the next few months,” said Andrew White, CEO of the VFPA. “Record low rainfall in the western part of Victoria combined with dry conditions in winter, means we have a ‘green drought’ in some areas, where the risk to our plantations and Victoria’s vital timber assets used to build new homes and create export income for local communities is extremely high. “Our terrestrial AI-powered fire cameras in the western part of the state help with early detection, but there is still ‘blind spots’ where we don’t have funding to put cameras in place. “Our members are particularly worried about the potential impact on these vital community assets, as plantations are vital supply lines for timber going into Victorian homes and exported plantation products create employment for local staff and contractors. “The forestry industry has funded its own specialist brigades which have already been actively working with DEECA and the CFA to conduct prescribed burns and preparative activities that will help protect the local community, as well as these vital community assets.” VFPA is the peak industry body representing the forest products value chain in Victoria, from those producing our sustainable wood to those processing wood fibre into an extensive range of value-added products used by Victorians every day.  Victoria is the home of plantation forestry, with more timber plantations than any other state. “Last season, the AI-powered fire cameras operated by the Green Triangle Fire Alliance detected 40 unplanned fires- 21 on private land, 11 on public, and 8 in plantations.” “The cameras were the first point of detection in various scenarios, detecting fire in some cases up to six minutes before another source,” Mr White said.