The Yarram 'Plantations in the landscape' Dialogue
Building on the discussions and learnings that have stemmed from our first three Dialogues, the GFD's upcoming Yarram Dialogue will be held on November 10-11, 2023.
Our fourth Gippsland Forest Dialogue will focus on the theme of ‘Plantations in the landscape’ and what we want from and for our planted forests in the region. The Dialogue will look at what this might mean to different stakeholders and communities, and work to find actionable recommendations to achieve balanced values through the exploration of three areas: the role of plantations in landscape health and their environmental impact; the role of plantations in community health and culture; and the role of plantations in the provision of forest products. A brief exploration of these topics, with links to further information, is outlined below.
We are aiming to bring together a wide cross section of the community that have an interest in forested land management for this Dialogue - with a particular focus on plantation and land management in and around the Strzeleckis and Gippsland plains. The intention is to encourage respectful conversations that build understanding between those with diverse views - less like an 'industry workshop', and more like a facilitated community engagement event.
The format will be a field day on the Friday (based in/ around the eastern Strzelecki), followed by a discussion forum on the Saturday.
Download the Scoping Paper to learn more about the ideas we are hoping to explore over the event. Note that we are encouraging participants to attend as individuals rather than as representatives of their employer (where applicable) and we'll be applying Chatham House rules to the discussion, so nothing that is said within the group is attributable to any one individual or company beyond the event.
“The Gippsland Forest Dialogue is the single most important forestry initiative in Australia. This is of, by and for the community. This is not experts paid for by the government telling people what to .”
Rawson Dialogue participant