NZIF Forester of the Year

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10 July 2012

NZIF Forester of the Year

The New Zealand Institute of Forestry Forester of the Year Award for 2012 was presented to Mr Brett Gilmore, a Registered Forester from Napier at the Institute’s annual conference in Christchurch last week.

Announcing the recipient of this prestigious award, President of the Institute, Dr Andrew McEwen, noted that the award recognises leadership, excellence and personal integrity. Consideration is given to the nominee’s contribution to New Zealand’s economic, social and environmental development, the use of innovation and new technologies or the creation of a new product or business of significance to forestry. Further consideration is given to professional and academic achievements, broad community involvement, cultural and other achievements.

Mr. Gilmore is employed in the Forestry and Logistics Division of Pan Pac Forest Products Ltd., the integrated forestry and timber products company in Hawkes Bay. A graduate of the University of Canterbury’s School of Forestry, Mr Gilmore was previously a forester trainee with the New Zealand Forest Service, worked for a community forestry project in Fiji, was a harvest planner with NZ Forestry Corporation, worked for a forest engineering consultant in Alaska and Oregon and was a harvest planner with Carter Holt Harvey in New Zealand. Mr Gilmore has had diverse roles at Pan Pac including forest engineering, land and environmental management, estate modelling and technical projects including IT implementation.

The award recognises Mr Gilmore’s participation in the wider forestry scene. He has been a member of the NZ Forest Owners Association Environment Committee for fifteen years, is the Chair of the New Zealand FSC Cluster Group and is a member of the Standards Development Group which negotiated a New Zealand FSC National Standard. More recently he has been project manager/author for the NZFOA review of the 1999 LIRO Roading Manual, culminating in the release of the 2012 Forest Road Engineering Manual, and also for the associated Operator’s Guide. Mr. Gilmore is Secretary of the Hawke's Bay Forestry Group which addresses regional forestry issues.

“It is Brett’s on-going professional approach to representing forestry in a wide range of issues that has earned the respect of his peers and led to the award of NZIF 2012 Forester of the Year”, said Dr McEwen. “I am delighted that the Institute has been able to recognize the achievements of this outstanding member.”

The Forester of the Year award is a large carved wall panel, a 1989 work of Rotorua carver Lyonel Grant. The principal elements portrayed in the carving are Papa Tuanuku and the children of Tane Mahuta (the forests, both native and exotic) as well as an effort to capture their respective uses using traditional design techniques in a contemporary form.

ENDS

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