2.1.1 Active management for Plantations

About the Lecturer

Dr Michelle Balasso

Michelle has a multi-disciplinary background allowing for a broad expertise in forestry, ecology, wood products and natural resource management and is committed to integrating different aspects of forestry for sustainable and appropriate use of natural resources. Michelle’s PhD contributed to the understanding of variation in wood quality in Eucalyptus plantations, and she developed a segregation system to obtain the highest recovery of valuable products from the planted resource. Michelle authored a number of high-quality publications in the fields of forest management and wood technology, and presented at several national and international conferences, as well as at industry events. Originally from Italy, she obtained both BSc and MSc from the University of Padova, and travelled for research in Sweden and Germany prior to settling in Australia, where she is currently employed in the forest industry.

2.1.1 Active management for Plantations

Plantations occupy 290 million ha of land worldwide, corresponding to 7% of the global forest cover, and contribute for almost half of the world’s industrial roundwood production. With increasing pressures on forests to provide timber for construction, biomass, pulp for paper and packaging, sustainable forest management is extremely important to ensure production of those products and other, as well as maintain the multiple benefits of forests.
This lecture provides the fundamentals of plantation management, covering the plantation cycle from site preparation to final wood harvesting.

For additional resources, click HERE