The
IUFRO Precision Forestry Symposium, presented here in Stellenbosch,
has come to an end after months of hard work. The Symposium
was a great success in terms of organisation and scientific
content and this was endorsed by all the delegates attending
the symposium. This success was largely due to tremendous
support and sponsorship of the event. On behalf of the organising
committee, I thank those who attended and also sponsored
the event.
I
have included a short overview of the Symposium for those
of you who could not travel to South Africa or attend the
meeting.
The
Symposium attracted 110 delegates from some 16 countries
which included Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Namibia, Nigeria, Slovenia,
Sweden, USA, and of course South Africa. In addition scientists
and practitioners from around the globe presented 45 scientific
papers of very high standard over a four day period. A large
delegation of South Africans also attended the Symposium,
representing almost every company and enterprise operating
within our borders. The blend of South African and international
delegates and speakers allowed for a diverse and stimulating
discussion during the Symposium.
The
field day took the delegates into the plantations of the
western Cape where they participated in topics such as soils
and related tree growth, the latest initiatives in primary
and secondary transport equipment tracking – which
included the linking of the individual events within cycle
times through remote sensing and GIS interfaces, - and new
technologies in forecasting and determining soil compaction
incidence using EM38 technologies.
In
particular I would like to thank the following sponsors:
Department of Forestry and Water Affairs (DWAF), Stihl,
Husqvarna, John Deere, MTO and SAIF.
Kind
regards
Pierre
Ackerman
Department of Forest and Wood Science
Stellenbosch University
For
further information contact the organisation team at:
Forest Engineering
Department of Forest and Wood Science
Faculty of AgriSciences
Stellenbosch University
Private
Bag XI
Matieland 7602
South Africa
Phone
+27 21 808 3300
Fax +27 21 808 3603
e-mail packer@sun.ac.za
Visit:
Forest Sciences at: http://www.sun.ac.za/forestry
or http://www.sun.ac.za/forestry/precision
