News & Events

In Term 2, ForestLearning had the privilege of showcasing its latest free classroom resources at two national education events — the PIEFA Conference in Canberra and the DATTA Qld Conference in Brisbane — connecting with more than 190 teachers across primary and secondary schools.

Both events featured a ForestLearning trade stand with newly launched resources hot off the press, including the Phone Stand Project, Designing for Biodiversity, and ForestVR™ headset demos. Here’s a quick recap.

PIEFA Conference 2025 – Canberra

ForestLearning delivered a lightning session titled “Sustainability & Innovation: Engaging Students with Real-World Learning” to a full delegation of over 130 attendees, directly following keynote speaker and 2023 Farmer of the Year, Michael Taylor, who explored the role of trees and forestry in natural capital accounting on farms.

Our session showcased how forestry is a living case study in sustainability — balancing carbon storage, renewable materials, innovation, and career opportunities. Highlights included:

• ForestVR™ as a virtual field trip tool for exploring forest ecosystems and high-tech timber industries
• Resources such asAgroforestry: Trees at Work on the Farm, Sustainable Schools: Going Green in Your Canteen and Forest Science Explorers for teaching real-world sustainability
• The Industry Champions Program, connecting classrooms with forestry professionals and career pathways

“We had fantastic engagement after the session — teachers were eager to explore ForestVR™ and how forestry brings the circular economy and sustainability to life for students.”

View these resources and more at www.forestlearning.edu.au

DATTA Qld Conference 2025 – Brisbane

Held in June with 350 secondary Design and Technologies teachers from across Queensland, this event featured a hands-on ForestLearning workshop titled:

Timber in Action: Designing for Sustainability, Biodiversity and Real-World Solutions

Beth Welden, Veronica Tyquin (ForestLearning), and Tom Clapson (HQPlantations) co-presented a dynamic session launching two brand-new curriculum-aligned resources:

1. Designing for Biodiversity (Years 9–10):Students design timber nesting boxes to support local biodiversity
2. The Phone Stand Project (Years 7–8):A practical timber design challenge exploring sustainability and workshop skills

Tom Clapson brought real-world context, sharing how HQPlantations monitors biodiversity in plantations using GIS, drones, and sensor technology — giving students an authentic connection between their classroom project and environmental stewarship in action.

Teachers walked away with complete resource packs: PowerPoint slides, production plans, video guides, materials lists, and printable student workbooks — ready to implement.

Teacher Insights from the Conference

The survey conducted at the event offered valuable feedback:

“The beauty o ForestVR is just seeing it. You can talk all you like but to see it — that’s what students need.”

— DATTA Qld teacher on ForestVR™

“ForestLearning resources offer my students more hands-on experiences and they also help with setting up tours to local sites which is amazing.”

— DATTA Qld teacher

Teachers also praised ForestLearning’s carbon storage tape and video resources as excellent entry points into sustainability and timber education.

What’s Next?

We’re excited to continue building on these conversations — expanding our resource library, supporting teacher networks, and increasing access to immersive, real-world learning experiences.

Want to trial ForestVR™ or host a visit from an Industry Champion?

Email us at info@forestlearning.edu.au and explore ForestLearning’s full suite of resources.