News & Events

Cumberland State Forest in north-west Sydney, NSW, has opened its doors again this year to students seeking a forest experience.

Forests NSW hosts over 4000 students on excursions to the site each year.

Senior Ranger Tim Liston said students participated on guided bushwalks with rangers and curriculum aligned sessions on animals in forests, managing the risks posed to forests and native plants.

“From kindy kids right through to year 12 the forest is busy most days with students exploring the forest environment,” said Tim Liston, Senior Ranger.

“The excursions all have hands-on elements whether it is potting up a native plant, using specialist equipment to measure tree heights or getting a close-up look at the equipment used to survey for animals. We always find the kids are very excited to be in the forest and keen to learn more about trees and the timber that they provide.”

Cumberland is a demonstration forest used for recreation and education activities.

“While we don’t have active harvesting operations on site we do have a sample area that was harvested in the past and is great to demonstrate how the forest regenerates over time,” said Tim.

“And the principles of sustainable forest management – the idea that there is a lot of complex planning work that goes into managing a forest can be demonstrated really well on this site.”

Cumberland also features a Visitor Centre complete with interactive displays and activity stations suitable for students of all ages. A trip to the Visitor Centre is part of all school excursions and allows the students some time for self-directed learning as well.

Bookings for excursion in 2012 are now open and interested schools should check out the programs online at https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/forestry or call 9872 0105 to discuss their options.