The Working Forests.

Over the last few years I have written nearly 1000 short Facebook stories and lodged eight free eBooks in the state and national library. There are also more than 20 Wikipedia pages.

This year will see a shift of focus to writing a book about “The Working Forests” which seeks highlight the importance of our forests and the role they played in Victoria’s economic and social development since the 1840s.

I plan to interview a number of people and visit some important forest sites across Victoria this year.

The book will include the key roles that foresters played as early stewards and advocates for forest use, forest conservation, and protection from bushfire.

It will tell some stories of the wide and diverse cast of characters who have interacted with our forests – from foresters and firefighters, to local communities, to conservationists, to post cutters, logging contactors and sawmillers, and the many forest users.

The diverse range of products and benefits that State forests provide will be highlighted. “Balance” and “Multiple-Use” have been recurring themes for the management of our forests over many decades.

I also hope to explain the complexity of the evolving community and political attitudes towards forests and bushfires, together with the progressive shifts in the balance of their preservation and productive use.

The recent cessation of timber harvesting in Victoria’s is raw and remains controversial but is the conclusion of a long and complex backstory.

Looking back over the life of the Forests Commission, many things are apparent… like being a field-based organisation with stable and experienced leadership, staff having pride in their work and a strong “can-do culture” of getting the job done consistently shines through.

The family ancestry of the current organisations such as the Department of Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV), Parks Victoria, VicForests, Alpine Resorts, Catchment Management Authorities (CMA), Hancock Victorian Plantations (HVP), and even the Country Fire Authority (CFA) can all be traced back to this earlier era.

Importantly, the Forests Commission left a strong legacy of tradition, camaraderie and spirit of innovation which remains embedded in the DNA of these modern organisations today.

There were many “firsts” … and a lot to be proud of…

I believe the story of our working forests needs to be told before it is lost, forgotten or falsely reinterpreted by others.

I intend to publish “The Working Forests” as another free eBook by the end of 2025.

The project is being generously supported by Eucalypt Australia with a Dahl Fellowship.

Drawing by David Parnaby of the antics of the sleeper cutters at Cann River in the 1950s.