The 2014 AFG biennial conference will be held at Southern Cross University (SCU) in Lismore, in the beautiful Northern Rivers area of NSW from 26-29 October. Focused around the theme ‘Trees – the future crop for changing climates’,  AFG and the conference sponsors will deliver an exciting and interesting program.

The Region

At the heart of a region renowned for its physical beauty Lismore, home of the Big Scrub Rainforest, is surrounded by magnificent forested mountain ranges, including The Border Ranges, Nightcap and Mt Warning National Parks. It is only 45 minutes drive to the beautiful beaches and littoral rainforests of Byron Bay. There is much to do in the Northern Rivers and plenty of opportunities and reasons for delegates to extend their stay, beyond the conference dates.

Spring in Lismore is renowned for warm and dry weather, with day time temperatures in the mid to high twenties dropping to very pleasant mid teens in the evening. It really is the best time of year to visit the region and this will help to make the conference an enjoyable experience for all.

The Program

The program, includes a broad range of topics covering all things forestry with something for everyone.

The Conference will reflect the changing nature of modern forestry that includes managing forests for the production of wood products and environmental and conservation values. Big picture issues will be addressed such as climate change, the current forestry industry status, trends, future directions, policy and regulations. Alongside the big picture issues direct management topics will be covered detailing the latest research, innovations and examples of climate change approaches and impacts, native forest and plantation silviculture, agroforestry, biodiversity initiatives, small log utilisation, harvesting and processing.

Our dedicated band of volunteers on the conference organising committee has had a fantastic response from an excellent range of high profile and distinguished keynote speakers and presenters. This has resulted in an impressive line up and we have struggled to fit them all into a jam packed, exciting program.

Social Program

The social program will include the traditional “Icebreaker” on Sunday evening and the conference dinner on Tuesday night where the Tree Farmer of the Year Awards will be presented. Both these events will take place at the Lismore City Hall, in central Lismore, close to and in walking distance from most accommodation venues. No doubt the usual networking and lively discussions will make these events memorable.

Value

Times have been tight and the Conference Organising Committee has worked with the sponsors to deliver a conference program in 2014 at pre-2010 prices. This extraordinary program, field trips and social events is great value for money and should not be missed.