The Strategic Plan for the Forestry Centre of Excellence has been launched by the State Government, laying out the vision behind this $15 million 10-year collaborative project.
The Centre, the first of its kind in South Australia, is being developed to create long-term research and development capability to enhance the Green Triangle's economic prosperity, generating more jobs and investment in the region.
To be established at the existing University of SA/TAFE precinct in Mount Gambier, the Centre will accommodate entities such as the National Institute of Forest Products Innovation (NIFPI) along with the University of South Australia (UniSA), the Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub (GTFIH), Tree Breeding Australia and the Logging Investigation and Training Association (LITA Training).
The strategic plan was developed with the region's forest and timber sector and creates a framework to place the Forestry Centre of Excellence as a central hub that focuses on innovation, sustainability and the creation of new market opportunities from Australia and across the globe.
At its core it seeks to extract maximum resource value from fibre resources, reduce the industry carbon footprint, build greater collaboration between industry and government, and create new and more diverse economic activity. It will also advance skills to drive innovation and investment while ensuring science and technology work effectively for business, create incentives for business to invest and leverage value-adding opportunities, and deliver a safe, more efficient and productive supply chain.
The Centre activities will support the full forestry supply chain including plantation management, harvesting and haulage and timber processing. It will also aim to cover the technical, safety, and training aspects relevant to those sectors, while building greater connections with our First Nations people. Areas identified as forest research priorities include water, fire, breeding, wood products, data analytics, carbon, silviculture and environmental management.
Building and accommodation requirements are being progressed via a master planning process involving UniSA, TAFE, PIRSA and the Department for Education, delivering on election commitments.
A global search is soon to commence for a centre director to lead its research objectives and connect with industry to identify key resource requirements.
See Forestry Centre for Excellence for further information and to download the Strategic Plan.