FORESTRY DEGREE TO BE REINSTATED

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5302, 15 January 1947, Page 7

FORESTRY DEGREE TO BE REINSTATED

DEVELOPMENT OF ROTORUA FORESTRY TRAINING CENTRE 0 When the Rotorua Forest Training Centre is est^blished by the State Forest Service this year, it will be the first time for more than a decade that aspiring foresters will have the ' opportunity to graduate in New Zealand with a degree in • forestry. Although the number of aspirants each year will not warrant the re-found.ing of the Chafr of Forestry in the New Zealand Universit.y, the degree of Rachelor of Forestry Science will, it is stated officially, be reco'gnised by that hody.

Since the two New Zealand schools of forestry were discontinued in 1932, there has been no graduation of trained or partly-trained foresters and consequently there is a wide gap in the age classes of this calling. The State Forest Service, in a statement, expresses the view that the Rotorua training centre' will have unique advantages, being situated in the heart of one of New Zealand's largest afforestation areas, and it is expected' that it will also attract students from other countries. Set in t'h'e 50-year-old Whakarewarewa Sate Forest of £000 acres — one of the oldest exotic' forests in the Dominion — the location of the training centre will be unequalled anywhere in the British Empire. In the selection of Rotorua as a site, considerable importance was attached to environmental influence — the success of Massey Agricultural College being given as an example. The site Is surrounded by a wide variety of exotic trees of all ages and classes and is also fairly near to the large tracts of cultivated forests in the district. Students will have unrivalled facilities in all branches of forestry. Specialised Staffa Since Rotorua is even more suitable for an investigative headquarters, a forest experimental station has been linked with the forest training centre. It will be staffed by | highly-qualified specialist officers i who, in addition to their investiga- I tion duties, will act as part-time lecturers at the school. This dual functio-ning of specialist officers has been developed successfully in | Sweden, it is said, and it has been j found that in addition to proving of very great benefit to the students, it also keeps the instructional staff i'ully conversant with the latest forest techniques and practices. The staff of the training centre

will consist of at least six lecturers, including the principal and they will provide instruction in all essential subjects. All. lecturers will have degree qualification and extensive experience in forestry. Ample Accommodation Th6 lay-out of the training centre will consist of the school with provision for lecture rooms, laboratories, a museum, assembly hall and administrative offices. The hostel, Which wil! hav% accommodation for 30 to 40 students, will have a cubicle for each and a joint study for every two students. The experimental statio-n will have accommodation for investigational officers, 'laboratories and forest pro-duce-testing equipment. Residences will be provided for married members of the staff. ■ Limitedl iDemand Although there is at present in New Zealand an acute shortage of highly-qualified forest officers, the future annual demand for graduate foresters will be limited. The' majority of graduates will be absorbed by the State Forest Service while others will be employed by local bocees and private forestry organisations. As forestry in the Dominion becomes more intensive, there will be a greater need for higher qualifications in professional foresters and also for more technical forestry knowledge amongst the forest ranger class of officer. The training centre was actually set under way as a tuitional school in 1944 for the purpose of providing vocational training for junior members of the Forest Service and for returned servicemen. The full establishment was deferred by the war. The entire project will be financed by the State Forest Service, but students other than those on the departmental staff will pay the prescribed fees.