Despite some quite profound differences, such as a fire-adapted ecology, based heavily on evergreen Myrtacae, these ideas emanating from other parts of the world find fertile ground in which to grow in Australia.

Management of native forests in Australia has followed the classical path of exploitation, control and active management.  As society now demands more than a commodity base from its forest, and given the majority of the Australian population live in near proximity to the major native forests, expectations and pressure on this finite resource is ever increasing.  The successful (integrated multiple use/ ecologically sustainable) .management of these forests is now a task of great importance to the profession and practice of forestry.

Since the Routley's wrote The Fight for the Forests in 1973 [10] and were seen as traitors to the profession of forestry, the debate has broadened, the community has become more aware and research has shown the lack of understanding of the long term impacts of forest use.  There have been many changes to the once autocratic forest services and a plethora of conflicts, public enquires and decision making processes relating to forest land use have been undertaken.  As the US Forest Service embarked on its New Perspectives program, Tasmania was struggling with its Forest & Forest Industry Strategy, a consultative landuse decision making process.

The Resource Assessment Commission has identified three major issues following its exhaustive assessment of the national situation:

1.   that there is no justification for ceasing wood production in native forest,

2.   there is uncertainty regarding long term impacts and a need to integrate resource management & conservation and

3.   a lack of research into impacts of forest use on ecological process. [11] .

The adoption of new site specific silvicultural practices in the management of Australia's forests will take place. There is a need to base the management of the future on high scientific objectivity. However, it is observed that some of the proposed applications or proposed practices can be viewed as working hypotheses or experiments until they are verified.

The importance of biological legacies discussed in the recent literature is of fundamental importance in the Australian biota where fire, particularly in the forests of the south-east, has provided repeated catastrophic events. The debate in adopting any non-fire/low fire management options, is intensified when fuel load management is introduced following a devastating fire event. This must be given a high priority in evolving systems of ecologically based sustainable forest management. Historically the various forest ecosystems in Australia have a broad spectrum of natural fire frequency, intensity and patchiness. However, 200 years of use of the forests has created a different environment with a changed set of values.  The inappropriate use of alternative silvicultural methods may result in a long term loss of sustainability if a higher risk of a catastrophic fire event is not included in the equation. The use of appropriate systems, including fire, to strategically address the maintenance of asset values given by society must form part of any new and sustainable management system.

There is much collaborative multidisciplinary research being undertaken in Australia to balance ecosystem conservation and sustained wood production. Much of the effort has been based on allocation or separation of use to achieve the balance. The way of the future sustainable systems will be an increasing move towards truly integrated multiple use, to produce the greatest net benefit on any given site.

The debate in the US and Europe of the need for and rate of change is very intense within and without the forestry profession. Australia has rapidly embraced new appropriate technologies and leads the world in many areas. Let us as a nation be leaders and not be in a position where we are caught by a shift in consumer demand. If the concept of forest product certification based on a number of sustainable criteria is introduced more comprehensively by the major trading nations the issue of ecologically sustainable forest management will be forced on us or become a major barrier to trade.

Australia is well placed to facilitate new, more site specific practices. As the world demand for quality hardwoods increases, the expected increase in their value should allow more intensive site specific silvicultural systems, which are currently not feasible to be applied in the future

We have some unique advantages:

We still have some sound forest ecosystems that retain their biodiversity and structure, and provide us with working ecosystem models.  Central Europe never had this biodiversity due to early Holocene ice sheet scouring, the barriers to colonisation presented by the Alps, and the subsequent ecosystem simplification wrought by human activity [12] .

Even in synthetic and degraded ecosystems such as those now occupied by agriculture and plantations, we still have sufficient genetic material, information and modelling techniques to construct an approximate structure of the original proven forest ecosystem.

We are perhaps more open to change and adaptation than older cultures as attested to speed of adoption of technology (eg VCR's, microwave cooking and second highest PC ownership in the world).  Our sense of community and compassion for the weak or disadvantaged is also strong - a sensitivity that is vital in caring also for the forest community.

Two perceptions of central European, or northern hemisphere forests must be addressed:

1.   These forests are not only softwoods.  High quality deciduous hardwood such as oaks, beech, maple and ash are just as important.

2.   Equally, different species in the northern hemisphere display the full range of shade intolerance as do our species.  For instance, in our forests, myrtles and blackwoods lie at one end of the range, Eucalyptus delegatensis and E. obliqua around the middle, and E. regnans and E. nitens at the other.

Relevance to private forests

ProSilva is especially suited to implementation in private forests.  Diversity of ownership spawns diversity in forest management objectives, and thus provides a rich ground for the uptake of "experimental" ideas.

Private owners benefit from a timely flow of products and services from their property: the ability to harvest one log to meet a payment on a machine, or several to satisfy the tax-man particularly suit them.

They furthermore have a deep commitment to long term future of own property.  Most farmers consider the future generations in their actions, as they have often seen the impact of previous generations on their own profitability, and will be likely to forego a quantum of present profit for their children's future's sake.

Benefits and Challenges of ProSilva

Benefits

Benefits fall into three major categories:  economic, thorough production of premium quality, diversified products;  sociological, thorough provision of fulfilling, sustainable, well-placed jobs; and ecological, through enhanced landscape stability.  Some variables to measure progress toward these goals are listed in Table 2.

1.         Economic:  Given a forest production cycle of 30 -60 years , who is able to predict market demand?  Diversity based on the balance of natural communities, providing in general terms a low cost, low risk strategy.

Failures in regeneration compound reductions in mean annual volume production due to short rotations - estimated in some instances to be only 60 - 80% of that possible under longer rotations. [13]

2.         Marketing quality timber:  As basic human needs of shelter and materials are satisfied, the aesthetic values of forest and timber become the focus of more sophisticated human demands.  Extrapolating current economic growth, the demand for aesthetic based forest products is destined to grow. Already in Europe , the market has paid over $20,000/m³ for select veneer quality timber, with the median price for standard oak being $400M/m³ . [14]

3.         Sociological:  Complex, diverse production systems are very people intensive (both labour and intellect), requiring care, skill and understanding. From the careful considered felling of each individual stem, to the thinning and culling of regrowth and activities like fire prevention, such intensity offers a multitude of fulfilling occupations.  This helps meet the need for jobs created by productivity growth and job shedding in the manufacturing and service industries, and furthermore provides jobs in depressed rural settings.

4.         Catchment quality:  Minimal disturbance, limb and leaf drop mulching and maximisation of leaf area are associated with diversity and successional processes, and favourably affect catchment quality. Encouragement of fast growing pioneer species such as the Acacias to shade grasses and create surface mulches provide non chemical means of weed control, as well as timber and ecological benefits.

5.         Landscape, biodiversity and aesthetic quality; The principles of ProSilva allow for a higher value to be assigned to these historically undervalued benefits, whilst still allowing extraction.  Areas which are managed in this way will complement areas retained for their true wilderness quality.  Some of these benefits overflow into ecological services for agriculture such as nectar sources for parasitic flies and wasps, habitat for insect eating birds and animals, and climate modification.

Challenges

1.         Greater demand for skills:  Compared to the current simplistic culture of extractive use, the concept of quality management must be developed amongst the forest managers and operators. Smaller management and ownership units found in private forestry lend themselves to this type of management. 

In Europe, there is an average of one professional field forester to 6000 hectares compared with one to 100,000 hectares in Tasmania [15] .

2.         Slower infrastructure cost recovery:  Infrastructure costs must be recovered over a longer time frame.  Capital costs cannot be subsidised by exploitation of "natural gifts".

3.         Complexity of marketing system:  Management of production forests for multiple species and multiple products varies from one plant community to another, requiring a much more sophisticated and coordinated processing and marketing system.

4.         Supervision costs:  People intensive businesses as distinct from capital intensive industries are inherently riskier and difficult to run successfully, particularly in a dispersed workplace such as a forest.  Consequently ecoforestry requires a more sophisticated, self motivated, professional culture by all workers.  However, ethical goals and quality associations offered by ecoforestry inherently make it easier to attract and keep forest staff of high calibre, potentially offsetting problems of a more people intensive industry.

5.         Training costs:  Developing the levels of skills and understanding required by the forest workers will be substantial.  However once a "New Silviculture", is established, much can then be passed on through on-the-job experiential means and by traditional apprenticeship.

Action plans

Forestry is at a cusp.  Movements from around the world are starting to point in a similar direction - a direction that integrates multiple use of our conditionally renewable forest resources and recognises human and non-human requirements and values.  We have the opportunity to develop networks for rapid sharing of hard-nosed, practical experience, but these will not happen of their own accord.  Thus is proposed that an organisation be started to achieve these ends.

Table 3 enumerates actions that can empower individuals in management of their own private forests.

A fresh organisation may have the ability to weld together previously disparate groups into a cohesive whole, setting up trust and linkages, where now there is conflict.

Certainly one of the most important actions to take is developing good educational links.  This can occur through existing forums such as field days organised by forest consultants or Private Forestry Corporations, but more probable is involvement in a ProSilva network.

Other forums may be provided through Whole Farm Planning for practicing land managers, or University for potential professionals. 

Table 3:  Potential actions for developing ProSilva

Implications for forestry and land management

"ProSilva" is both the nametag and a possible vehicle for the practical extension of the worldwide paradigm shift that is taking place in natural resource management. For our forests it offers the hope of peace and fulfilment for our community., There  are many values that the market process cannot guarantee, so practical community shared philosophy and ethics must be the framework for the management of our forests.

This paradigm shift is reflected by the ProSilva philosophy, requires a fundamental ethical shift from every individual, from power towards care oriented roles. It is possible that it is the ultimate test of humankind, a test that must be passed, if future generations are to be assured a life of quality and dignity.