C

Growing worldwide demand for timber and wood chip production means forest harvesting activity is likely to increase over the next five years. At the same time, there is constant pressure for forest harvesting organisations to improve their technical efficiency, reduce costs, and demonstrate best forest management and environmental practices. Industry is continually adopting new technologies that allow businesses to remain competitive, adhere to regulatory requirements, and keep up with demand. This is a continuous process that effects the technical skills required to perform work and safety practices in the work environment.Geospatial technologies are one key area of development, with the industry using drones to perform quality control in their harvesting. This approach is quick and cost-effective but requires training so that workers are able to operate the equipment. There is great potential for this technology to be used in other areas that require the monitoring and evaluating of land and wildlife at different stages of harvesting.Programming harvesting optimisation files is also a key skill required by industry. While two new units of competency in operating harvesting machines were developed as part of the Forest Harvesting Optimising Project, the use of such technology also effects the forestry technicians who program the log cutting instruction files.Other key areas of development include systems for harvesting on steep slope terrain, best practices to minimise environmental footprint of forest harvesting, in field debarking of logs, and tree felling and chainsaw operation.The Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) approved this project out of the Forest and Wood Products Industry Sector IRC Skills Forecast and Proposed Schedule of Work 2018-2021 (see pages 55-62).Skills Impact and the Forest Management and Harvesting Industry Reference Committee (IRC) will manage this project, consistent with the 2012 Standards for Training Package Development.Download Project Proposal (see pages 55-62)

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P

Technology has always been a key driver of change in the forest industry. Since saws and axes made way for chainsaws, harvesting technologies have been improving in efficiency. These days, sophisticated machinery, drones and remote sensing systems, in-field technologies and optimisation equipment are supporting the industry to be more productive, environmentally sustainable and safer. However, in order for these advances to truly be effective, training must reflect current practices, acknowledging how the industry is evolving.The use of drones and remote sensing methods is making work quicker and less expensive, capable of mapping and evaluating forest from the skies. Meanwhile, new optimisation equipment is maximising the output of timber while also making it possible to track yield in real time. In-field wood chipping and debarking technologies are now more advanced, making it possible to perform chipping and debarking on the same site as timber is harvested with reduced costs and increased efficiency. Techniques for cable logging and tethered harvesting on steep slopes are another area where gains are being made, improving harvesting outcomes in a challenging environment. These new practices mean forestry workers require more advanced skills to program and operate such equipment and interpret the data they produce.Even with these new technologies and advances in harvesting operations, there remains a need to conduct manual falling and chainsaw operations. Units of competency need to accurately reflect these high risk activities. Several industry programs rely on these skills standards to provide the benchmark for performance in these areas.This project will involve consultation with the forest harvesting sector to ensure the skills required for these new harvesting technologies are supported and recognised by existing or new units or skill sets. It will also involve review of existing units to ensure skills needs and safety requirements continue to meet the needs of work environments.

Project Scope

This project will review and develop nationally endorsed units of competency for the forest management and harvesting sectors related to environmental practices, geospatial data management for forest assessment and tree inventory, and forestry operations.Specifically, the project covers the following skills areas that support recent industry developments and its future activity:

• Tree felling and chainsaw operation
• Environmental care (forestry operators)
• Cable logging and tethered harvesting systems
• In-field wood-chipping operations
• In-field debarking of logs
• Geospatial technologies for forest operations
• Programming harvesting optimisation files

The project will also develop new skill sets for harvesting on steep slope terrain and in-field chipping operations and new units of competency in harvesting technologies operations where required.The project will review 25 existing units of competency (plus six units across all current FWP Training Package projects) and will develop new units of competency where required. New skill sets will also be developed.

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Opportunities for stakeholder input

Technical Advisory Committee

• Provide input with respect to the project on areas of industry skill development requirements, job roles and key tasks and activities
• Provide technical expertise that will inform the content of units of competency
• Review and provide feedback to the draft materials
• Provide input to clarify potential differing views on industry requirements
• Share project materials with other experts for their input.

Units of competency to be revised or developed

D

Sophisticated new technologies are improving productivity, environmental sustainability and safety in the forest industry. As a result many job roles require higher levels of technical and digital skills than before. It’s important these developments are reflected in nationally endorsed qualifications and skills standards to ensure industry can keep up with high demand for timber, a competitive market, and regulatory requirements.In August and September 2019, the project team conducted site visits and consulted with people from 21 forestry organisations and nine arboriculture organisations to identify new skills driven by changes in technology and processes, to determine skill gaps in the existing units of competency.Read about the skills development themes have emerged from these consultations under the 'Consultation and development activities so far'.

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Next steps

Consultation and development activities so far

• A range of digital technologies is being implemented across the forest management and harvesting sector to collect and manage field data from forest operations. Examples include the use of mobile applications to access digital maps and other forestry field data and the collection of forestry data using unmanned aerial vehicles [UAV]. Currently, most organisations use vendor or in-house training programs to skill their harvesting operators.
• Several harvesting contractors in Victoria have adopted winch assist systems in their operations to harvest trees on slopes of up to 60 degrees safely, without manual felling. Operating harvesters with winch assist system is a skill that will also be required in Queensland and Tasmania as the application of technology emerges in these states.
• While not a new technology, in-field wood chipping is conducted with highly specialised machines in plantation forests for pulp and paper production. The in-field wood chipping operations are prevalent in the Green Triangle region, northern Tasmania and Western Australia. Employers have identified that the FWP Training Package does not suitably provide for this niche, but very specialised, job role.
• Work processes for cable logging operations and the manual harvest of trees using a chainsaw in commercial harvesting operations have not changed over the last years. However, the volume of trees harvested manually has changed, from 90% five years ago to 1% now, due to mechanisation and safety concerns.
• Chainsaw equipment and relevant FWP units of competency are also used, in large number, to fell trees as part of arboriculture, agriculture, conservation and land management, local government, emergency services and other government agency operations. The missing component from the training packages is a competency standard that provides skills to safely carry out chainsaw tree cutting operations while working at height.
• The units of competency for applying environmental care principles and procedures in forest operations need to be consolidated and reinforced to facilitate skills outcomes sought by employers of both native and plantation forest management organisations.
• Since this project also reviews the units of competency for transporting forestry logs/products using trucks, it was determined opportune to discuss and incorporate relevant skills requirements that are outlined in the industry’s Draft Log Haulage Code.

Proposed new units

C

Technology has always been a key driver of change in the forest industry. New technology, such as digital maps and forest operation plans, and new harvesting systems are supporting the industry to be more productive, environmentally sustainable and safer. As a result, many job roles require higher levels of technical and digital skills than before. It is important these developments are reflected in nationally endorsed qualifications and skills standards to ensure industry can keep up with high demand for timber, a competitive market, and regulatory requirements.Industry experts have been consulted to review and draft units of competency to incorporate the technical skills required to collect and read digital forestry data and operate new harvesting technology.Thank you to those who provided feedback on the draft units that were made available on this webpage for feedback from 23 January – 1 March 2020.

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• Five draft new units of competency that were developed to support skills development in digital technology, winch-assisted harvesting, mechanised forestry site preparation on steep slopes, and use of a chainsaw off the ground. 
• Twenty four units that were revised to support skills development in cable logging, environmental care (forestry operations), transport of logs, tree felling /chainsaw operations, and wood chipping. 
• Four units of competency from the FWP Forest and Wood Products Training Package that are proposed for deletion. 

Proposed New Units

Revised Units

Units Proposed for Deletion

Other project notes

• 2 units of competency have not been revised as they are core units in four FWP qualifications. According to the Training Package policies, the core units can only be reviewed as part of the qualification review. The units are:
  • FWPCOR2204 Follow fire prevention procedures
  • FWPCOR3203 Evaluate fire potential and prevention
• The unit FWPHAR3231 Operate yarder was initially not on the project scope, but has been reviewed due to feedback received from industry stakeholders and relevance to the skill areas covered by the project.
• Feedback from industry has also helped to identify:
  • A range of skills gaps in the Certificate IV in Forest Operationsin relation to digital technology involving the development of digital forest operational maps and cutting instructions files for forestry harvesters, management and analysis of harvesting optimisation data and collection of forestry data using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). While these skill areas are on the project scope, the identified skill gaps are linked to higher-level job roles and qualifications than the approved project deliverables.
  • The need for rationalisation of three overarching environmental care units for forestry operations, noting that two of these units are Core units in the Certificate II and III for forest management and harvesting. According to the Training Package policies, the core units can only be reviewed as part of the qualification review.

Summary of consultation to date

V

New technologies such as digital maps and forest operation plans, and new harvesting systems are supporting the forestry industry to be more productive, environmentally sustainable and safe. As a result of these developments, many job roles are requiring higher levels of technical and digital skills. Industry experts have been consulted to describe the skills needed for this work in national units of competency, so that the sector can keep up with strong demand for timber in a competitive and highly regulated environment.Thank you to those who provided feedback on the final draft units of competency that were made available on this webpage for feedback from 13 March – 29 March 2020. 

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Key Changes

Summary of consultation to date

Proposed New Units

Revised Units

Units Proposed for Deletion

• Three units, which were originally for deletion, are proposed for being maintained in the FWP Training Package. The feedback received suggests a potential need for these units in the bushfire context or, one unit, in the specialised Sandalwood industry in WA
• One unit, FWPFGM2210 Implement animal pest control procedures, is proposed for deletion and to be replaced with AHCPMG309 Apply pest animal control techniques, a unit of similar content and outcomes from other training packages to reduce duplication across training packages

Other project notes

• Two units of competency have not been revised as they are core units in four FWP qualifications. According to the Training Package policies, the core units can only be reviewed as part of the qualification review. The units are:
  • FWPCOR2204 Follow fire prevention procedures
  • FWPCOR3203 Evaluate fire potential and prevention
• The unit FWPHAR3231 Operate yarder was initially not on the project scope, but has been reviewed due to feedback received from industry stakeholders and relevance to the skill areas covered by the project.
• Feedback from industry has also helped to identify:
  • A range of skills gaps in the Certificate IV in Forest Operations in relation to digital technology involving the development of digital forest operational maps and cutting instructions files for forestry harvesters, management and analysis of harvesting optimisation data and collection of forestry data using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). While these skill areas are on the project scope, the identified skill gaps are linked to higher-level job roles and qualifications than the approved project deliverables.
  • The need for rationalisation of three overarching environmental care units for forestry operations, noting that two of these units are Core units in the Certificate II and III for forest management and harvesting. According to the Training Package policies, the core units can only be reviewed as part of the qualification review.