Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture work placement a success

Posted 06 October 2022

PFT was approached by the Teaching Program of the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture to provide an Agribusiness Placement for a student, Chas Hughes and his registered assistance dog Lip, who was keen on trees on farms and would value the opportunity to have a work experience placement with PFT.

A Work Integrated Learning Agreement was developed for Chas to participate in appropriate PFT orientation, induction and training, observe and assist PFT staff on farm visits and assist PFT staff with demonstration site QA assessments in late September 2022 under the supervision of PFT Operations Manager and other staff.

Specific activities included a basic assessment of recent plantings on a Round 2 demo site at St Peter’s Pass (An Cala, near Oatlands), survival counts on a Round 1 demo site at Gunninghams, Montumana, a tour of the Forico Somerset nursery, and observation of an industry-wide Integrated Pest Management Group meeting.

In Chas’ words:

"I was fortunate to be placed with PFT for my final semester agribusiness placement with Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture. I have spent the last few years looking for the right area to move into after I graduate, reviewing all agriculture could offer as a career.

I became aware of the Tree Alliance initiative late in 2021 after finding the Instagram page while researching the Emissions Reduction Fund carbon credit programs. Thanks algorithm!

The initiative really resonated with me. Putting trees on farm and the long-cycle nature of forestry as opposed to annual, and even perennial production systems, was very appealing.

Stephen and Molly took me around the state to look at the different ways farmers were choosing to integrate trees into their landscapes. I left my time in Burnie with a strong confirmation that I want to be involved in the forestry industry. The potential in the coming decades to grow in the industry, is exciting and I can’t wait to get started!

Thank you to Stephen, Molly and all the kind people at PFT who welcomed me up north, I really appreciate you and look forward to catching up with you again."

Article photo courtesy of the Tasmanian Forests and Forest Products Network (TFFPN) Forum, September 2022.