News & Events

ForestLearning hosted 21 students and two teachers on a Seed to Shelter school tour of HQ Plantations and AKD mill on the southern Sunshine Coast on Tuesday 2 August 2022. Students studying materials lifecycles of wood, as well as agricultural methodologies and sustainability, were taken on a journey through the plantation supply chain, including planting seedlings by hand, visiting a mature 27-year-old plantation and measuring the carbon captured in those trees using the ForestLearning Tree Carbon Storage Tape Measure.

Foresters outlined the process of tree planting, silviculture (tree management during the growing phase), and provided a hands-on demonstration of some of the firefighting equipment used to put out fires. A plant pathologist also talked about the various scientific careers that await students in forestry.

One highlight was visiting a working tree harvesting site where professional harvesting contractor Simon showed the technology and skill involved in harvesting trees to the precise specifications required by the customers at the timber mills.

AKD Softwoods provided students with a range of cadet and apprentice presentations that detailed what they are studying and what they love about their journey so far in timber processing. Students were impressed to learn that nothing is wasted in the mill – with all offcuts and sawdust being repurposed into another resource.

Students were then hosted through the mill on a tour to see the high-tech equipment used to saw round logs in to rectangular structural products for the building industry.

Teacher Mitchell Hartmen from Calvary Christian College said of the day:
“I would like to extend a massive thank you to ForestLearning, HQ Plantations and AKD”.

The staff at HQ and AKD made students and teachers feel welcomed, were engaging with students and provided with relevant and insightful knowledge.

A quick post excursion survey with the students saw that the excursion was educational, interesting and relevant. The only dislike students had was that the excursion didn’t go for long enough!”

To find some resources to assist you in your own forest and mill excursions, head to the Forest Learning website and download the Forest Industry Education Champion Toolkit to explore more!  https://forestlearning.edu.au/resources/school-and-industry-champion-toolkit-for-school-activities