July 7th: Managing the Swan Region’s Urban Forests for the Future
23rd May, 2017
This seminar will present key aspects to begin to successfully implement policy and strategy on Green Infrastructure, Urban Forests and Canopy Plans.
Date: Friday 7 July
Time: 9.00 am – 12.30 pm
Venue: Tuart Hill Community Centre
Cost: $30 per person (morning tea provided)
Register by: Wednesday 5 July
Urban forests are a significant part of a healthy, vibrant suburban landscape. As well as providing essential ecosystem services (filter air and water, fauna habitat and slow wind) they create a sense of place and visual amenity. International studies report a strong correlation between human health and the presence of nature, and economic research has concluded that quality urban forest has a positive impact on the property value of neighbourhoods. Many local governments in the Swan Region are now preparing policies, strategies and plans for their natural capital but how well is the region equipped to protect and manage the resource into the future?
Managing an urban forest requires a clearly articulated plan, developed in unison with those responsible for its implementation and the wider community that will value it. Detailed tools exist to assist local governments prepare their plans for the life cycle of the forest, from inception of the idea, to its management and evaluation. Ongoing urban development and changing community expectations mean a management plan for the life cycle of the Region’s urban forests are essential.
Sustainability officers, arborists, planners, environmental mangers, councillors, procurement officers and those interested in ensuring healthy and well managed urban forests are encouraged to attend. The seminar will assist local government staff and community leaders understand key aspects of an urban forest management plan including sustainable procurement (design, supplier evaluation, contract development and project review), monitoring and recording arbour health and the importance of evaluating the plan’s progress.
This seminar is part of the Professional Development in Environmental Management series produced by Perth NRM.
Speaker Bios
Andrew Casella, Senior Procurement Specialist, WALGA
Andrew is WALGA’s Senior Procurement Specialist. His role is to help build procurement capacity across the WALGA Membership, through a variety of methods including the delivery of training on procurement and contract management, undertaking strategic procurement projects, facilitating the WALGA Procurement Network and provision of procurement and probity advice. Andrew is a member of the International Association of Commercial and Contract Management (IACCM) and registered as a probity practitioner with the Resolution Institute. Andrew has a broad range of experience in both local and state government sectors and commercial enterprise.
Andrew is an advocate for using procurement as a means to help WALGA Members achieve their sustainability objectives. Recently, Andrew has been leading a project designed to equip WALGA Members with the practical guidance and tools to embed sustainability in its procurement function and practices, based on the newly released ISO 20400:2017 Sustainable Procurement guidance standard. These materials are soon to be launched at an upcoming event by WALGA.
Vic Bijl, Arborist, City of Belmont
Vic has been involved with trees on a continuous basis for over 40 years. His background is comprised of both extensive practical experiences – from many years in production forestry beginning in 1976 – to owning an arboricultural contracting business, to currently over 15 years as an arboricultural consultant of which – since 2009 – in municipal arboriculture.
His main areas of practice are:
• the Risk Assessment of Trees (using QTRA)
• the complex fields of Trees and Land Development; and
• the comprehensive planning of the urban forest
Vic holds:
– City and Guilds Certificate in Arboriculture (Merristwood College, UK)
– Diploma in Arboriculture
– ISA Certified Arborist – Municipal Specialist
David Jamieson, Grounds Manager, UWA 2010 to present
I spent first 12 years of my life living in Tuart Hill when a lot of the area was bushland. There were a few houses and some market gardens. I spent a lot of time exploring the bush near where I lived before housing gradually took over. I even have recollections of Grenville reserve being constructed. Growing up around bushland developed a lifelong interest in trees in me as well as an extensive appreciation of the flora and nature in general.
I started my working career as a forester in Queensland in 1975 after completing a 4 year Bachelor of Science (Forestry) at the Australian National University (ANU). I worked in native and plantation forests in Queensland, Victoria, NSW and ACT for the next 30 years.
Some career highlights included establishing & managing a native tree nursery for 5 years, compiling a tree inventory for a Shire council, completing a graduate diploma in Public Sector management with Flinders University, being the incident controller in the control room when the bushfires hit Canberra in 2003, being part of the team that did the initial planning of the Canberra Arboretum and the Mt Stromlo Mountain Bike Park as part of the rehabilitation of the burnt areas after the Canberra Bushfires, implementing, successfully, Arborplan for all trees on UWA campuses in Perth.
My last job in ACT before moving to Perth was Manager of Recreation and Environment for a government land management agency.
After moving to Perth for family reasons, I worked as the Parks & Environmental Projects Technical Officer and acting Parks & Gardens Manager for the city of Fremantle. In 2008 I was employed by UWA to work as Technical Officer for Trees and Groundwater which was widened to include turf and irrigation. I became UWA Grounds Manager in 2010.