Forestry Corporation of NSW’s Tumut staff were at the forefront of International Women’s Day celebrations last week, reflecting on the strong contribution women make in the forestry industry. Source: Timberbiz
Tumut’s nursery staff marked the day with a morning tea and discussion on what was important for women in the forestry industry. Source: Timberbiz
The nursery team is an essential part of Forestry Corporation’s operations, with women making up 50% of the nursery’s seasonal staff. They successfully deliver around seven million seedings each year for the ongoing plantation program.
Tumut-based Harvesting Supervisor Ellen Kromer was also invited to speak at an ACT International Women’s Day event for high school students. More than 200 students heard from Ms Kromer on what it was like working in the forestry industry.
“A day like this is absolutely fantastic – it brings strong women together and gives them something to run with when they get back to their schools,” Ms Kromer said.
“My take home message on the forestry industry was that if you are willing to get in there and have a go, the amount of respect you get is absolutely phenomenal.”
Forestry Corporation’s CEO Nick Roberts used International Women’s Day as an opportunity to reflect on the gender balance in the forestry industry and work to be done.
“With gender balance in employment in the overall forestry industry at around 80:20, we know this is an area we have work to do in,” Mr Roberts said.
“Over the past few years we have made a concerted effort in this space; the initiatives in our Diversity Strategy have helped improve Forestry Corporation’s gender balance but there is more to be done.
“When we look at diversity we are looking at balance. Having balance in our work teams – balance of gender, age, background and skill sets all helps us to look holistically at the issues that confront us and generally make better decisions.”
