The NZIF Foundation has handed out education and research awards totalling NZ$22,500. The Foundation said that for this year’s allocation of funds there was a good number of high quality applicants, but the Foundation was disappointed there were no applicants for some awards. Source: Timberbiz
“In 2012, the first year of the Foundation’s operation, we had four awards worth a total of NZ$6500.
“For 2019, we advertised nine award categories plus four student poster competition prizes worth NZ$40,000.
“What was especially pleasing was that the applicants came from a range of institutions and forestry interests, with research projects in plantation forest management, export procedures, indigenous forests and urban forests,” Dr Andrew McEwen, the Foundation’s chair said.
The 2019 awards were announced at the joint conference of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry and the Institute of Foresters of Australia in Christchurch.
Daniel Boczniewicz, a PhD student at the University of Canterbury School of Forestry received a NZ$10,000 Future Forest Scholarship for his research on modelling stem properties for eucalyptus in New Zealand’s dryland environments.
The Chavasse Study Award for NZ$3500 was awarded to Bernadette Nanayakkara, a scientist at Scion working on wood formation physiology. Ms Nanayakkara plans to attend the International Union of Forest Research Institutions conference “Forest Research and Cooperation for Sustainable Development” in Brazil later this year.
Georgia Craig who is in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Forest Science (Hons) degree at the University of Canterbury School of Forestry, received the NZ$5000 NZ Redwood Company Scholarship. Ms Craig’s honours project is looking at the effect of debarking logs on air quality emissions at export ports.
The Frank Hutchinson Postgraduate Scholarship of NZ$1000 went to Monique Hall, an Masters of Science student at the University of Waikato who is studying restored urban forests.
Reihana Fisher a 4th year Bachelor of Forestry Science (Hons) student at the School of Forestry at the University of Canterbury received the undergraduate award. His dissertation topic is looking at the benefit of pruning.
Four forestry students from Canterbury University received prizes in the student poster competition at the Conference.
Reihana Fisher received first prize of NZ$800, Georgia Craig second prize of NZ$600, Nick Berry third prize of NZ$400 and Shaun Coles the fourth prize of NZ$200.
“We were delighted with the number and quality of applications,” said Dr McEwen. “We congratulate the recipients of the awards and thank all applicants and encourage them to persist with their research and education and to make a career associated with New Zealand’s forests, which have a vital role to play in this country’s environment, economy and society.”
