Careers in the Forest Sector
Foresters are conservators, responsible for managing forests for the sustainable supply of timber, water and recreation. Choosing a career in forestry means joining a profession at an exciting and challenging time.
Forests play a diverse and critical role in sustaining human and other biological communities at a local and global scale. Forests provide wildlife habitat and biodiversity conservation, timber production for high-value products, clean water and other ecosystem services — and they play a central role in mitigating rapid climate change. The forest sector offers graduates a diverse range of opportunities to manage and conserve forest ecosystems across Australia and around the world. Graduates trained in forest science are in high demand to address the current global challenges of climate change, restoration of degraded lands and the sustainable management of forests for wood, fibre and ecosystem services – in a world with rapidly increasing population pressure on natural resources.
Graduate Profiles
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Roger Cross – Private Forestry Industry Development Officer, Department of Primary Industries, Victoria |
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Lachlan Cook - Forestry Consultant, URS Australia. Bachelor of Forest Science Graduate I feel I have gained a lot from my Forest Science degree. I enjoy working in an industry producing renewable, recyclable and re-usable products. I hope to remain part of an industry that continues to strive for social, environmental and economic sustainability. Forests have the capacity to contribute to crucial future challenges and opportunities such as carbon neutral building materials, carbon trading, biodiversity services and bioenergy production. My study and career have taken me to 5 different states and territories within Australia, and to Canada, China and Indonesia |
Rachaele May - Fire Management Officer, Department of Sustainability and Environment. |
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Dr Josquin Tibbits - Postdoctoral Fellow, Forest Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, School of Forest and Ecosystem Science. Bachelor of Forest Science and PhD. I came to forestry after working for several years in horticulture, mostly with trees as an arborist. The attraction was mostly to be able to continue to work with trees, but not in an amenity sense. I had a great fear when starting that forestry would be all about logging and not so much about ecology or conservation, as this is the impression I had from the media. In fact nothing could have been further from the truth. The forestry degree was very broad and covered all aspects of forests and the science behind their management. We covered in great detail all the big forest related issues such as fire, water, ecology, silviculture and for me, genetics. We of course did cover harvesting, but this was placed well in perspective. I have since gone on to finish a PhD in forest molecular biology and am now strongly committed to understanding the genetic basis of the diversity we find in our forests and the ways in which we can use this understanding for the betterment of mankind as well as for the preservation of our natural environment. I strongly believe that a tertiary forestry degree has the ability to change you from someone who wants to make a difference about the way we manage our natural environments into someone who can make a real difference, and a positive difference at that. |
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Mathias Chemonges I studied at the University of Melbourne and acquired a Postgraduate Diploma in Forest Science in March 2004 which led to a Master of Natural Resources in April 2006. I was redeployed in Forest Department (now Kenya Forest Service) in Farm Forestry Section in Charge of Monitoring and Evaluation. After a short while, I Joined IUCN, in the Mount Elgon Regional Ecosystem Programme (MERECP). I am a technical advisor providing technical and managerial support with the main task of monitoring and evaluation. The skills and knowledge acquired in the Natural Resource training programme at the University of Melbourne, Melbourne School of Land and Environment, have been very useful, especially so with my current work. MERECP is a transboundary natural resource programme for the East African Community whose overall purpose is enhancing the conservation status and benefits of the Mt. Elgon Ecosystem for environmental quality. Currently am based in the Uganda Country Office, Kampala. |
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Paul Woods Since graduating with a PhD (Paul's research explored Vietnamese farming techniques which return large areas of bare and eroding hillsides to productive use the planting of bamboo and other trees), I have been working with World Vision Australia. For 5 years I was in a liasion and coordination role, looking after all WVA funded programs in Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, and Swaziland. Now I am based in Malawi for 12 months where I am coordinating a four country program - southern Africa Food and Nutrition Program, a US$3.8m program to improve nutritional use of indigenous food sources in rural commiunities. There is no doubt that a degree like mine from Melb University opens doors all around the world, in any chosen sphere. |
Veronica Tyquin
Technical Forester, Green Triangle Forest
Bachelor of Forest Science
I’ve always loved climbing trees, but when I chose Forestry as a course, I was really looking at career outcomes. I wanted to work outside, but I also wanted to do something professional where you could use your brain and not just your brawn. I’ve found forestry a really stimulating field to be working in because you get to do research as well as be engaged with the planning of operations.
I’ve just finished my course and am already working in the field. I look after pine forests in Mount Gambier as a Technical Forester with Green Triangle Forest products.
Krystina Kny
Tree Farm Supervisor, Timbercorp, WA
Bachelor of Forest Science
I’ve always loved nature, camping, climbing trees. Growing up, I had the best of both worlds, going to school in the city and with my parents having a property in the country which was just great.
I found it difficult to track down a course that would match my personality. I wanted to work outdoors and not get trapped in an office. In the end I used the VTAC guide to track down forestry and have found that it really is an adventurers’ kind of course.
There are a lot of great career opportunities in forestry, with jobs all over Australia. I now work in Albany in Western Australia with Timbercorp as a tree farm supervisor where we grow blue gums.
Careers in Forest Science:
Graduates of a forest science degree may be employed in a wide range of areas including:
- forest and environmental management
- forest carbon investment and accounting
- fire management
- research and development
- climate change science and policy
- forest and ecological consulting
- timber management and processing
- community and conservation groups
- private plantation forestry
- development-aid agencies in Australia or overseas
Courses in the Forestry Industry:
Undergraduate (view all)
- Bachelor of Science
- Bachelor of Environments, with a major in:
- Landscape Management
- Landscape Architecture
- Environmental Science
- Environmental Geographies
- Associate Degree in Forestry Management
Graduate Coursework (view all)
Graduate Research (view all)
Further information on courses or study can be obtained by telephoning the University of Melbourne on (03) 8344 0276 or 1800 815 803 or email courses@landfood.unimelb.edu.au