Passion For Timber's Pays Off For Darren

19 February 2008
Darren Shelden's commitment to the future of the timber and wood products industry has earned him a place in the 2008 Australian Rural Leadership Program.
Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) has sponsored Mr Shelden's position in the internationally recognised program, which is regarded as Australia's premier rural leadership development initiative.
Shelden has a Bachelor of Forest Science from the University of Melbourne and has worked in the plantation industry in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia in both public and private sector positions. Since 1999 he has worked for Timbercorp, based in Hamilton, Vic, where he is senior manager of tree-farm operations and also manages the company's silvicultural research program and communications.
“Sponsorship of a position in the 18-month leadership program is indicative of FWPA's commitment to supporting the wellbeing and development of the regional centres that support Australia's major timber industries,” managing director Dr Glen Kile said.
The program, which has trained 360 graduates since its inception, exposes participants to real issues critical to rural Australia and provides opportunities for interaction with key industry, government and community representatives.

Snow Storms Devastate China’s Forests

China has lost about one tenth of its forest resources to snow storms, regarded as the most severe in half a century.
More than 27 million ha of forest has been damaged across China as the result of three weeks of savage winter weather, according to the China Daily.
More than half the country's provinces have been affected, and in the worst-hit regions, nearly 90% of forests have been destroyed. The Chinese Government has urged areas unaffected by the snow storms to expand seedling supply to secure spring reforestation efforts, expected to begin in early April.
The snow-damaged forest areas include 6.83 million ha of bamboo, 11.62 million ha of woods and 15,333 ha of saplings.
Freaky winter storms have plagued southern China since mid-January, leading to widespread traffic jams, structural collapse, blackouts and crop loss. The storms killed at least 80 people and affected about 100 million residents, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
About 7 million ha of farmland, mainly located in the mid and downstream areas of the Yangtze River, was hit by the snow. Agricultural output has been lost on about 753,333 million ha.

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