Australian institute of Horticulture Updates

Cardno Chenoweth eNews Update February 2012

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +1100

Cardno Chenoweth eNews Update

February 2012

Source: http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/documents/environment/boondall_wetlands_brochure.pdf

World Wetlands Day – 2^nd February 2012

International News: World Wetlands Day 2012 is celebrated on 2^nd February, marking the anniversary of the International Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971 and known as the Ramsar Convention, protecting freshwater, estuarine and other wetlands throughout the world. WWD provides an opportunity to raise awareness and focus on the values and services of all wetlands, not just those which are Ramsar-listed. The theme this year is “Wetlands and Tourism”. To quote the Ramsar web-site (www.ramsar.org) “At least 35% of Ramsar Sites around the world record some level of tourism activity and this percentage is consistent throughout all regions”. Recreation and tourism are also important services delivered by many wetlands, contributing to local economies as well as biodiversity, fisheries production, water quality and coastal protection. The National Workshop of Wildlife Tourism Australia, at Currumbin Sanctuary 16-18 May 2012, will be an opportunity to further explore these issues for wetlands http://wildlifetourism.org.au/wildlife-tourism-workshop-2012/registration/

Queensland & Brisbane Wetlands: The major marine and coastal wetland system in Queensland which contributes to recreation and tourism is the Great Barrier Reef, with over 1.6 million visitors every year, generating an income of over $AU 1 billion. In Brisbane, the potential for wetland-related tourism and recreation is being realised at Boondall Wetlands http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/environment; and also at Tinchi Tamba Wetlands at the Pine River mouth – the Cardno Chenoweth team has had a long association with Tinchi Tamba since preparing the management plan (with a community advisory group) more than 17 years ago.

The Queensland Government’s ‘WetlandInfo’ initiative (wetlands@derm.qld.gov.au) has raised awareness amongst the community and kept everyone up to date; and in December 2011 DERM released its interactive wetland maps for Queensland http://wetlandinfo.derm.qld.gov.au/wetlands/MappingFandD/WetlandMapsAndData/WetlandMaps.html

The Big Dry and then the Big Wet: The end of the long Australia-wide drought and then the floods of 2010-11 have changed the landscape in many ways, but most of all with respect to natural wetlands. The floods have revitalized rivers, lakes and wetlands - . Lake Eyre has been replenished twice within one year; and the Murray Darling River system has been flushed and filled, the Ramsar protected Paroo River wetlands in NSW have been revived, and the Coorong marshes at the South Australian river mouth are alive again.

The extreme fluctuations in flow raise questions regarding the way that these systems cope with catchment erosion, streambank fragility, habitat loss and restoration, sediment loads, nutrients and other pollutants – all of which will have lessons for future management to improve resilience.

http://www.healthywaterways.org/EcosystemHealthMonitoringProgram/ProgramComponents/Event-basedMonitoring.aspx

In South East Queensland, Healthy Waterways ‘Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program’ EHMP Report Card 2011 http://healthywaterways.org/ehmphome.aspx has assessed waterways and freshwater ecosystem health, and partially considered the effects of the floods. Indicators include physical, chemical, nutrient cycling, ecosystem processes and aquatic life, indicating overall improvement for most freshwater streambank systems post-flood, but there are shorter term impacts of major rainfall events on waterway health. including declined nutrient cycles, and overall ecosystem health.

Wetland management must include managing and preparing higher order streams and waterways, and addressing the whole catchment system in context.

Water Sensitive Landscape Design: In 2011 Alan Chenoweth was invited by Singapore Government (Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology) to conduct a 2-day workshop on Water Sensitive Urban Landscape Design, focusing on the selection of plants and growth media for water quality and attractive landscapes. The workshop included inspections and review of some of the exciting WSUD initiatives being implemented by this small dynamic city-state to keep their waters clean and green

This was followed by presentation at an ABC Waters (Active, Beautiful and Clean) Symposium as part of International Water Week (seehttp://www.siww.com.sg/conferences-workshops-symposiums for the 2012 program); and then a few weeks later by participation in a technical review workshop for Gladstone Regional Council to review some of the WSUD issues being faced in Gladstone to comply with State Planning Policy 4/10 Guidelines http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/environmental_management/water/environmental_values_environmental_protection_water_policy/pdf/spp-healthy-waters-web.pdf

Cardno Chenoweth In November 2011, Chenoweth Environmental Planning and Landscape Architecture merged with Cardno to form Cardno Chenoweth, and our team is now part of a much larger group with access to a wider skill base. Cardno ecologists, designers and water engineers have wetlands capabilities and experience in Australia and USA, including a number of award-winning projects. Consultant and advisory teams with appropriate expertise can be called upon to address design, restoration and rehabilitation of wetlands throughout the world.

Our ecologists are also keen field naturalists and spend part of their ‘leisure’ time in the bush, and for Amy Prowd this has included regular volunteer contribution to wetland bird surveys near Ipswich. A monthly survey and bird count is undertaken for Dalys Lagoon (Bundamba Wetlands) in south Ripley. The wetland monitoring is coordinated by Birds Australia Southern Queensland (BASQ) branch and the counts are undertaken by volunteers.

Cardno Wetland Expertise: As part of the larger Cardno network, other wetland expertise is now available for client advice and projects. A selection of projects which Cardno divisions have undertaken in Australia and the USA are:

NSW

Cardno (NSW/ACT) developed an Integrated Water Cycle Management (IWCM) strategy for Precinct 7A (560ha) of a broader Wyong Shire/WCM strategy, to protect the Porters Creek Wetland, the largest freshwater wetland (500ha) on the central coast of NSW. The Porters Creek wetland has been under threat from runoff from current urban uses in the catchment and it is considered necessary to implement best practice management of stormwater in the catchment to protect the wetland from the impacts of further urban development.

The strategies aim to replicate the pre-development hydrological regime. Studies in 2009 had ecological risks for a stormwater harvesting strategy on Porters Creek Wetland, identifying wetting and drying as key hydrologic indicators for the health of the wetland.A cost-effective scheme was recommended to consolidate a series of distributed storages and wetlands into a central regional storage and wetland to significantly reduce the cost of infrastructure and an associated reticulation network, while still meeting environmental flow objectives. Contact Dr Brett Phillips (brett.phillips@cardno.com.au.

USA

Natural resource management and environmental consultants Cardno ENTRIX in USA, http://www.cardnoentrix.com are wetland and river restoration and mitigation specialists, having integrated engineering design and environmental management in at least 14 significant projects on the west coast over the past four years, and many more out of their Houston office. Their expert teams have won awards for wetland restoration in Washington State, and California notably the Third Creek (Lower West Side) Restoration (‘Best in the Tahoe Basin’ award 2010), for environmental protection and restoration along pipelines such as the Woodward Creek pipeline restoration (Southern Gas Association Environmental Excellence Award 2009). Their 2009 ‘restorative’ levee protection project on the Puyallup River is promoted by Pierce County as a model for engineering and environmental integration in flood protection projects .

Current Cardno ENTRIX projects include a large wetland restoration scheduled for construction this summer in Lower Columbia (Grays River Estuary).

Robert Nailon, Senior Wetlands Scientist with Cardno ENTRIX in Houston, has a national USDA award for his wetland contributions, and more than 25 years of experience in successful restoration/mitigation projects, including the highly visible I-45 Corridor Project (completed in 2000), arising from NRDA funding from the Apex-Shinoussa oil spill in Galveston Bay in 1990.

In Michigan, CardnoJFNew has been responsible for a coastal wetland restoration project at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Trenton (near Detroit).This project is located within and directly adjacent to the only Ramsar listed wetland Michigan (Humbug Marsh), and the DRIWR actually facilitates a large World Wetlands Day celebration with many local students as well at Gibraltar High School. The wetland experts of CardnoJFNew volunteer to set up a booth at this World Wetlands Day event.

Collaboration Over the coming years we look forward to working closely with clients and other Cardno divisions, as well as with Councils, government agencies and NGOs, on issues associated with wetlands.

Alan Chenoweth Business Unit Manager

Links to Websites:

www.chenoweth.com.au

www.cardno.com

www.cardnoentrix.com

www.cardnojfnew.com

www.derm.qld.gov.au

www.ramsar.org

LEED Workshops & Exams Preparation 6-9 Mar 2012

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +1100

Dear Architects, Construction & Estate Mgmt Personnel,



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1 Free Seat before 28 Feb 2012


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About Speaker

Dr Charles J. Kibert Ph.D., P.E. is Professor and Director of the Powell Center for Construction & Environment, College of Design, Construction and Planning, University of Florida and co-founder and President of the Cross Creek Initiative, an on-profit industry/university joint venture seeking to implement sustainability principles into construction. He has served as a consultant for numerous green building projects and directed the design and construction of the award winning Rinker Hall, the first LEED gold certified building in Florida which was listed as one of the AIA COTE Committees Top 10 projects.

He is a member of the Building Commissioning Association (BCA) and has extensive experience in mechanical and

electrical contracting and design of renewable energy systems.

He was co-chair of the Curriculum and Accreditation Committee of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) , a board

member of the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) and is on the board of the Green Building Initiative (GBI). He

developed a widely used green building continuing education program for Florida contractors and subcontractors, Build

Green and Profit, which has been delivered to overt 5,000 builders and subcontractors. He is the author of over 100

articles, papers, and other publications on sustainable development and related issues.

Warmest Regards,

Joanne Ng

Urban Greening Institute

6 Jalan Serengam

Singapore 769410

Tel 6546 5801

joanne@urbangreeninginstitute.com

Exceptional Tree Register

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +1100

Exceptional Tree Register

The Urban Landscapes branch of the City of Melbourne is excited to announce the launch of the Exceptional Tree Register. The register offers, for the first time, the opportunity to celebrate and protect the exceptional trees that exist on private land in our city.

The register aims to:

Recognise and celebrate the City’s trees by promoting and raising awareness of existing exceptional trees.
Support the custodians of Melbourne’s exceptional trees by providing expert advice and opportunities to care for and promote their tree.
Protect Melbourne’s exceptional trees through the Melbourne Planning Scheme so that planning permission is required to undertake any action that may harm the tree.
Encourage shared responsibilities for the retention and care of trees that span property boundaries.
Promote tree planting on private properties - trees that may become the exceptional trees of the future and increase canopy cover in our city.

WHAT IS AN EXCEPTIONAL TREE?

An exceptional tree may exhibit extraordinary growth form, old age, rarity or size, or be important to community or cultural groups for environmental services or social, cultural or spiritual reasons. Trees will be assessed against criteria developed in association with the National Trust of Australia (Victoria).

NOMINATE NOW

Trees on private property significantly contribute to our urban forest and community. By nominating a tree you will be assisting the council and the community to recognise and protect some of our city’s most valuable assets. Nominations are open to any person, regardless of whether they are the property owner, or whether they live or work in the municipality.

Nominate an exceptional tree for the first round of the register before 8 March 2012.

For more information and to nominate a tree online please visit: www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/urbanforest. Alternatively, collect fact sheets and nomination forms from Council House 2, Melbourne Town Hall, or from the counter at city libraries.

AgriFood January 2012

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +1100

January 2012 | Issue No 20 | www.agrifoodskills.net.au

In this issue

From the CEO

CEO Arthur Blewitt

Dear Annette

Happy New Year, and welcome back to our first issue for 2012.

AgriFood is setting an ambitious agenda for the coming 12 months. There are challenges that lay before the agrifood industry with skills and productivity at the heart to ensure we remain competitive in an increasing global environment.

In December 2011, as part of our consultations for the Environmental Scan and to seek input into the Board’s planning process, AgriFood held a Futures Workforce and Skills Think Tank in Sydney for industry leaders, enterprise owners, producers industry representatives and academics from across our five major sectors – meat, racing, seafood, food and rural and related. The participants came from all over Australia to ensure we were able to garner a wide range of views on the future workforce and skill needs of our industry.

The Think Tank, facilitated by experienced futurist Paul Higgins, enabled industry representatives to come together and devote creative thinking time to identifying possible future issues and to collectively identify possible solutions.

Participants examined three possible future economic scenarios that related to the agrifood industry - the long-term crisis, the long-term boom and a return to cycles. The aim was not to pick what was the likely scenario, but to identify likely eventualities no matter what the global and Australian economies may look like in 2020.

Participants agreed that new innovations in technology would continue to drive change, with IBM forecasting that 24-50 billion devices including environmental sensors, phones and automatic control systems will be connected to the internet by 2050.

The participants also agreed that rapid change in industry will continue within a highly competitive environment. Genetic developments will increase along with the demand for functional and healthy foods. Industry and businesses will become more complex with greater supply chain transparency, the increased use of specialised consultants and greater diversity of employees will increase the need for high level business skills amongst enterprise owners.

Education disruption will likely occur with free on-line courses being available to a global audience, and increasing use of social collaboration media to solve problems will change the way industry and education institutions work.

The Think Tank identified on-going competition for labour, less government programs and funding, an increasingly ageing workforce and a strong focus on sustainability and animal welfare as likely to continue.

Key themes emerging from the Think Tank included the need for education and training to be driven far more by industry and businesses, that leadership in industry is the key leverage for change, the training system needs to be far more flexible and responsive to change to industry requirements and skills development, and workforce planning has to become a fundamental business strategy in the minds of industry.

Recommendations to the issues raised from the Think Tank will be incorporated into the 2012 Environmental Scan and discussed by the Board in determining priorities for AgriFood in our next business planning meeting.

I look forward to working with you to collectively enhance the skills and capabilities of our owners, managers and workers to ensure the agrifood industry continues to be sustainable into the future.

Arthur Blewitt
CEO, AgriFood Skills Australia
January 2012

Final Expressions of Interest for SEE Program

AgriFood Skills Australia is calling for final Expressions of Interest for the Sustainability Essentials for Executives (SEE) Program.

The SEE program is designed specifically for the needs of small-to-medium size food manufacturers to achieve early cost savings and address sustainability challenges in the workplace. The program includes the best contributions to this field in change management theory as well as ‘nuts and bolts’ tools and plant diagnostics.

The SEE Program is supported by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR).

For more information about the program and for details on how to submit an Expression of Interest, please click here or contact:

Michael Claessens
General Manager, Workforce Development and Analysis
Ph: 02 6163 7213
E: michael.claessens@agrifoodskills.net.au

Important meeting for NSW stakeholders

Places are filling fast for the upcoming consultation meeting with industry and Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) in NSW to discuss traineeships and potential apprenticeships for the new Agriculture, Horticulture, Conservation and Land Management Training Package (AHC10).

The meeting will determine outstanding questions such as:

the nominal duration/term of each of the qualifications
potential “discounts” to the nominal/term of each of the qualifications
nominal hours for each of the qualifications
whether the qualification should be declared as a traineeship or an apprenticeship, and
names of the modern awards that employers employ trainees under if it is not listed in the application.

A short presentation will also be given around the requirements of the employer under the new NSW traineeship/apprenticeship training plan.

Meeting details

Date: Tuesday 7 February 2012
Time: 10am
Place: NSW Department of Education and Communities
Level 12 Boardroom, 1 Oxford Street
Darlinghurst NSW
RSVP: COB Friday 3 February 2012

Contact

For more information about the meeting, or to register to attend, please contact:

Melissa Wortman
Executive Officer
AgriFood NSW ITAB
Ph: 0421 830 056
E: melissa.wortman@agrifoodskills.net.au

Training Packages Continuous Improvement update

ACM10 Animal Care and Management Training Package Version 2
ACM10 Animal Care and Management Training Package Version 2 has been submitted to the National Skills Standards Council (NSSC) for consideration at their next meeting on 23 February 2012. ACM10v2 includes:
- ACM40512 Certificate IV in Equine Dentistry and associated new Units of Competency. C lick here for more information.
- ACMATE405A Assist to collect and transfer embryos of mice, for addition as an elective Unit in ACM50110 Diploma of Animal Technology. C lick here for more information.

ACM10 Diploma of Equine Dentistry Continuous Improvement Project
The feedback period has closed for the job role statement for the ACM10 Diploma of Equine Dentistry Continuous Improvement Project. Feedback will be collated and published with initial draft materials by the end of February 2012. For more information on the project, click here.

ACM10 Animal Control and Regulation Continuous Improvement Project
New consultation drafts have been released for the ACM10 Animal Control and Regulation Continuous Improvement Project on thewebsite. Feedback closes at 5pm on Wednesday 8 February 2012.

SUG02 Sugar Milling Full Review Continuous Improvement Project
Industry Validation materials remain available for the SUG02 Full Review Continuous Improvement Project on the website. The Project Reference Group has offered its support for the migration of sugar milling qualifications to the FDF10 Food Processing Training Package. Feedback on the validation drafts closes at 5pm on Friday 27 January 2012.

AHC10 Machinery and Operation and Maintenance (MOM) units
Errors have been identified in the mapping for Machinery and Operation and Maintenance (MOM) units in the AHC10 Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package. An updated mapping document for MOM units is now available on the website.The corrected mapping will be published to Training.gov.au with the release of AHC10v3 later this year.

AHC10 Irrigation Continuous Improvement Project
The industry validation period for the AHC10 Irrigation Continuous Improvement Project is complete. A draft Case for Endorsement is being prepared and it is expected that the revised irrigation Qualifications and associated new Units of Competency will be submitted to the NSSC as part of AHC10v3 for consideration at their 19 April 2012 meeting.

AHC10 Sports Turf Management Continuous Improvement Project
New Units of Competency for the AHC10 Sports Turf Management Continuous Improvement Project have been released for Industry Validation on the website. Feedback closes at 5pm on Wednesday 8 February 2012.

AHC10 Seed Production Continuous Improvement Project
Feedback remains open on the initial draft materials for the AHC10 Seed Production Continuous Improvement Project on the website. Feedback closes at 5pm on Friday 16 March 2012.

Items submitted to the Continuous Improvement Register prior to 11 November 2011 have been reviewed by AgriFood Skills Australia. A number of items have been provided to Industry Training Advisory Bodies (ITABs) for further review and advice. Stakeholders will be notified of the status of their submissions during February 2012, and an updated Continuous Improvement Plan will be released.

Other continuous improvement projects are ongoing as outlined in the Continuous Improvement Plan. If you would like more information about any of these projects, please contact Angela Petty on (02) 6163 7212, or by email at angela.petty@agrifoodskills.net.au.

National Farmers' Federation Industry Roundtable

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) will be convening an agriculture ‘Industry Roundtable’ on 3 February in Canberra to discuss the skills and education challenges currently facing the industry.

The Roundtable will serve as a platform for dialogue between Government and industry leaders on critical issues, such as the ageing of the agriculture workforce, the attrition of workers to the mining industry, the national perception of the relative unattractiveness of careers in the industry, insufficient graduates to meet industry demand, and labour shortages, particularly in Australia’s regional industries.

These pressing issues, coupled with the upcoming Modern Awards and Fair Work Act reviews and State and Federal Parliamentary inquiries into higher education and skills training in Agriculture, make this event an ideal opportunity for agriculture’s industry leaders to express their views, identify workable solutions and present those to Government in the form of the NFF Blueprint for Australian Agriculture.

More information

The Roundtable will be held at the Brassey of Canberra on 3 February 2012. For more information or to register to attend the Roundtable, please contact:

Brian Duggan
Manager, Workplace Relations and Legal Affairs
National Farmers’ Federation
Ph: 02 6269 5666
E: BDuggan@nff.org.au

Maintaining your Trainer and Assessor Currency Workshop

Innovation & Business Skills Australia (IBSA) is partnering with Velg Training to present professional development workshops nationally for trainers and assessors to assist them in maintaining the currency of their trainer and assessor competence.

The workshops will provide attendees with an opportunity to update their knowledge and skills of training and assessment and to document aspects of their trainer and assessor currency.

The workshop will focus on skills, such as:

applying a systematic process to the planning and development of assessment tools,
developing and using strategies for training and assessment,
addressing components embedded in a unit, including LLN and employability skills,
applying required knowledge and skills,
clustering of units for delivery and assessment, and
maintaining documented records of trainer and assessor currency.

More information

For more information about the workshops, including dates, locations and how to register, please click here.

Upcoming Events

3 February National Farmer's Federation (NFF) Agriculture Industry Roundtable
Canberra

7 February Agriculture Vocational Training Order consultation meeting
Sydney

15 February       Board meeting
                        Canberra

27-28 February  2012 Service Skills Australia National Conference
                       Brisbane

13-16 March Nursery & Garden Industry Awards
Gold Coast, QLD

28-29 March 2012 MINTRAC National Training Conference
Melbourne

CONTACT
Laura Douglas
t: 02 6163 7202
laura.douglas@agrifoodskills.net.au

Level 3, 10-12 Brisbane Avenue, Barton ACT 2600
www.agrifoodskills.net.au/

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AgriFood January 2012

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:49:55 +1100

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Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:58:07 +1100

National 2011 Awards

The Australian Institute of Horticulture (AIH) celebrated the close of its Golden Anniversary year with the 51st Annual National Awards at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on November 12th, 2011.

National Award and AIH Sponsor representatives from Agrifoodskills, Fitzpatrick & Co, Fairfax Magazines, Australian Horticulture Magazine, AIMS AustralAsia, Horticultural Training Pty Ltd and Azarel Horticultural P/L assisted with the awards celebrations. Members from as far as Hong Kong attended the occasion. Nine of the Institute’s 15 Fellows travelled from all points of Australia to attend the awards dinner.

The war memorial venue gave our masterful MC, AIH Fellow Don Burke, OAM, the unusual challenge of engaging the horticulturally inclined diners, doing so with a wonderful story of F/O Wal Upton, WWII RAF veteran and acknowledged Orchid species authority.

Guest speaker Adam Burgess, Curator National Arboretum, presented an interesting overview of the the History, design and planning of the new Arboretum that evolved after the devastating fires of Canberra. The following day Adam lead an enthusiastic bunch of ‘Horties’ in a tour of the arboretum describing the specifics of the design intent of the park.

The support of the venue and caterers, through Hyatt Canberra Hotel ensured a successful and entertaining night and all thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

The awards were received with much acclaim, with very deserving recipients.

Don Burke MC and Adam Burgess Curator National Arboretum

Horticulturist of the Year Award

The AIH Award of Horticulturist of the Year (HOY) is an annual event offering a unique opportunity to publicly recognise an outstanding AIH member. By profiling the excellence of AIH members in this way it is hoped to both inspire and challenge horticulturists in their practice and to promote their skills and achievements to the public. This Award is to be presented for their outstanding contribution to a horticultural project of merit, including horticulture education or horticulture media.

Arno King FAIH AILA, Assoc Director, Deicke Richards Architects/Landscape Architects, Brisbane, for the project Kim Walters Choices Program Garden Wesley Hospital Brisbane

Arno King HOY receiving award from sponsor Carolyn Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick Insurance.

Golden Wattle Award

The AIH Golden Wattle Award is an award of significance to an outstanding horticulturist. This is the highest award of industry recognition to be given to a horticulturist whose practice has advanced the profession of horticulture in Australia. The criteria for consideration for the AIH Award, is nomination of a member who has demonstrated sustained exemplary conduct as a professional horticulturist. One who has brought significant benefit to the profession by his or her work and deeds and who has excelled in the profession of horticulture during the history of AIH Incorporation in 1960.

Golden Wattle award recipient Colin Campbell, from sponsor Annette Irish, AIMS.

Horticulture Student of the Year

The award is based on a student or recent graduate who has achieved exemplary outcomes during their time as a student, and a student who has shown that their input into the industry will provide benefits to the Horticulture industry.

John Baker, Chair Agrifoodskills Australia presents Horticulture Student of Year award to recipient Marian Radecker.

Award of Excellence

Tony Curry MAIH – services to education and botanical research

Tony has a passion for education and plants and has promoted the advancement of horticulture in Australia and elsewhere through a range of outstanding projects such as Australian plant collection trips , Research work through projects such as the Project Camellia Team and the Centre for Biodiversity and Development, Ho Chi Minh City; the Vietnam Herbarium as well as Cat Tien and Bidoup-Nui Ba National Parks documenting the occurrence of camellias and Theaceae in these areas with the aim of developing reference collections.

Award of Merit

This award is nominated for products or services that benefit horticulture industry or learning. The award this year was presented to subTropical Gardening magazine – Paul Plant FAIH; Editor & Publisher

The publication of subTropical Gardening magazine has proven to be an invaluable resource not just for local gardeners, but for many professional horticulturists. The strong focus on suitable plant selection, culture and availability of rare or unusual species for those who garden in this unpredictable subtropical climate, is an invaluable tool. Both new comers and well seasoned gardeners can confidently draw from information provided by local highly respected garden authorities, for local gardeners. Its refreshing to find a magazine of this kind whose sole focus is precise quality content coupled with inspirational images, that a gardener can truly sink his (or her) spade into.

Fellowships

Vicki Still FAIH

Vicki Still has been a stalwart representative of ACT and National Councils for over a decade holding positions of President, Secretary, Committee member and National Council member. Her involvement on behalf of AIH has ranged from seminars, events, organising ACT industry affiliation and partnerships and providing support to the education of apprentices and representation on apprenticeship committees. She also supports young entrants into the industry through employing apprentices. Vicki continues to be involved in horticulture media by hosting the ABC garden radio show when the presenter, Graham Williams is away after hosting the garden show on Radio 2CC every Saturday and Sunday.

Her horticultural activities within public and school communities and her business acumen have earned her a number of awards such as AIH Horticulturist of the Year 2006 and Telstra Business Woman of the Year ACT 2009. Vicki has truly met the criteria to be conferred the honour of Fellowship of AIH.

Vicki Still FAIH receives award from Colin Campbell OAM FAIH

Paul Scholtens FAIH

Paul has been an active member of the Institute for more than four decades holding member number 177. For over ten years Pauls served in the positions of National Secretary, State President, Secretary and Treasurer as well as National Vice President holding a number of executive positions as well as contributing substantially as a general member.

Paul was the first Certified Practising Horticulturist in 2001 and still holds the distinction of CPH Principal. He has willingly shared his horticultural knowledge with others in the industry through seminars and AIH workshops. Paul has made exceptional contributions of significance to the horticultural landscape of the ACT and surrounding regions and influenced government policy through his representations. His contributions to AIH and industry are significant and he has been conferred as a Fellow.

Formal launch Registered Horticulturist

AIH Registered Horticulturist program, having its soft launch in September 2011, presented one of its first registrants - Toni Salter MAIH RH – with certificate number 0003. This AIH managed program is the only program to recognise horticulturists for their professional standing across all sectors of horticulture.

Toni commented that ‘the benefits of joining an exclusive group of fellow professionals was being ranked at the top of the profession, as acknowledged by its peers. She is confident that this will open many new opportunities in employment and business. The ongoing personal development as a Registered Horticulturist will provide the most up to date information as a powerful tool in the industry, with an added advantage of attracting reduced professional insurance fees and other future programmes through AIH”.

NSW Young Horticulturist of the Year

Kate Fraser - Winner

What does becoming Young Horticulturist of The Year involve?

The award funds a student's or recent graduate's exciting, innovative or sustainably-oriented project that provides benefits to the horticulture industry and/or develops their choice of horticulture as a career.

Ros Andrews , trustee, Ryde School of Horticulture Student’s Trust, NSW Young Horticulturist of the Year , was delighted to announce the award for a project that will be of benefit to both horticulturists and the general public. The 2011 winner is a recently graduated student from Northern Sydney Institute of TAFE at the Ryde campus.

Kate Fraser receives NSW Young Horticulturist of the Year award

Announcement of Establishment of Life Membership

AIH National Council considered and approved the establishment of the category of Life Membership for AIH. Criteria are based upon minimum 65 years of age, 20 years AIH membership and outstanding contribution to AIH and industry. The nominations and consideration for membership will arise only from within the National Council and ratified by the National Executive. Life Memberships will not be issued every year and are reliant on strong evidence of the criteria as set. Life Membership will bear no cost to the recipient, but continue to receive the same benefits of full members.

National Council accepted the nomination of Nan Barbour from Kim Morris, National President, proposed by Annette Irish, in his absence. The National Council voted unanimously in favour of the nomination. The new Membership category will be required to be ratified under the constitution by members in a special resolution. The special resolution will be open to members for voting in the new year.

Registered Horticulturist Program

The Registered Horticulturist program provides a pathway for existing professionals at all levels to be recognised and acknowledged across the community for the essential role they play in Australia’s horticulture industry sectors.

Download the PDF brochure: Click here
Download the application form: Click here
Download the Professional Experience form: Click here
Download the Continuing Professional Development Programme and Registered Horticulturist summary: Click here

International Symposium on Growing Media, Composting and Substrate Analysis

Fri, 06 May 2011 00:00:00 +1000

Presented by The International Society of Horticultural Scientists
October 17-21, 2011, Barcelona (Spain)
Deadline for submission of full text: 21 October 2011

On behalf of the Organizing Committee we invite you to participate in this event, presenting an oral or poster communication. If you are interested please contact the committee at: growingmedia.composting2011@upc.edu
We look forward to seeing you in Barcelona.
Xavier Martínez Farré, Convener.

Info: Prof. Dr. Xavier Martínez Farré, Escola Superior Agricultura (ESAB-EUETAB), Campus Baix Llobregat, Av. Canal Olímpic s/n, 08860 Castelldefels, Spain.
Phone: (34)935521094, Fax: (34)935521001,
E-mail: xavier.martinez-farre@upc.edu
E-mail symposium: growingmedia.composting2011@upc.edu

The International Society of Horticultural Scientists
The ISHS, dating from 1864 and formally constituted in 1959, has more than 7000 members representing some 150 countries. It is the world's leading independent organization of horticultural scientists.
The aim of the ISHS is "...to promote and encourage research and education in all branches of horticultural science and to facilitate cooperation and knowledge transfer on a global scale through its symposia and congresses, publications and scientific structure." Membership is open to all interested researchers, educators, students and horticultural industry professionals.
www.ishs.org

The success of the ISHS is largely through the 40 or more specialized symposia held annually. These are organised locally in a country, each with a convener, an organising committee, a scientific committee and an editorial board. Designed to be self-financing, these symposia normally concentrate on a technical subject – a crop or research area. Invited speakers present papers, research findings are debated, discussions held, visits arranged and the editor compiles a monograph published as a volume of Acta Horticulturae.

The ISHS has organised the 29th International Horticultural Congress to be held in Brisbane, Australia on August 17-24, 2014. Held every four years at various sites around the world, and attracting more than 2,000 delegates, the congress is a world forum on all aspects of horticulture and horticultural science. Click on the link for more information:
International Horticultural Congress

National Parks Buzz January 2012

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +1100

In this issue:

Gardeners' Day Out @ HortPark | 'Share Your Green Moment' Facebook Giveaway | What's On - Events | Deals for you

Gardeners' Day Out @ HortPark

7 January 2012. 9am - 6pm. Free Admission.

Welcome the year of the Dragon with fun-filled gardening activities your whole family can enjoy!

Attend a talk by our horticulturalists or watch demonstrations by our gardening experts.
Learn how to grow your own "fortune" at the hydroponics workshop or simply pick up steps to create your very own plant art piece at the terrarium workshop.
If you prefer to be on the go, join the garden tours or size up a bargain at the gardening bazaar.

With a wide array of activities including story-telling, art and craft activities, cookery sessions and even a Chinese New Year scavenger hunt, Gardener’s Day Out @ HortPark is definitely the family event to kick-off the new lunar year.

Click here for more details and information on pre-registration requirements.

'Share Your Green Moment' Facebook Giveaway

What better way to usher in the new year than by winning one of our Singapore Botanic Gardens 2012 calendars? We have 10 wall calendars each worth $20 up for grabs. Each calendar is filled with gorgeous botanical drawings of various flora!

Simply do the following:

Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nparksbuzz if you have not done so;
Share on our wall your photo memories of time spent in our parks and gardens: It could be anything - a rare flower spotted during your morning walk, your child’s first cycling experience, or other memorable moments;
From our wall, share that same photo on your own wall, with the photo caption, "I love our parks and gardens! Like www.facebook.com/nparksbuzz in support of our City in a Garden."

We will be selecting 10 winners on 30 January 2012 (Monday), 4pm. Snap away with your cameras now and share your Green Moment with us!

Life Lines by Gilly Beal

Date: Now to 25 Jan (Wed)
Time: 10am - 12nn, 1 - 4pm
Venue: The Foothills Fort Canning Park, Galeri Utama (Enter from River Valley Road, opp. Liang Court)
Fee: Free

Suitable for:
Everyone

Be amazed by the art works of Gilly Beal, inspired by nature itself.

Find out more

Singapore CUGE events

Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:00 +1000

This page has continuing updates on events held by CUGE: The Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology. CUGE is managed by the National Parks Board, Singapore (NParks).
CUGE is the Lead National Training Institution for the Landscape Industry.

CUGE VISION
To be a Regional Centre for advancing and sharing knowledge and expertise in urban greenery and ecology to enhance the urban living environment.

2011 CUGE NEWS:

AUGUST WORKSHOP SERIES: CUGE-ECO-3203 Ecological Habitats Workshop Series: Freshwater Habitats.
18-19 August, Ridley Hall, Level 2, Botany Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Click on the link for registration: www.cuge.com.sg/Freshwater Habitats

www.cuge.com.sg/July-2011
www.cuge.com.sg/June-2011
www.cuge.com.sg/May-2011
www.cuge.com.sg/April-2011
www.cuge.com.sg/March-2011
www.cuge.com.sg/February-2011
www.cuge.com.sg/January-2011

NATIONAL PARKS NEWSLETTERS 2011:
My Green Space July-September 2011
My Green Space April-June 2011
My Green Space January-March 2011
enewsletter/august2011
enewsletter/july2011
enewsletter/june2011
enewsletter/april2011

2010 CUGE NEWS:
www.cuge.com.sg/December-2010
www.cuge.com.sg/November-2010
www.cuge.com.sg/October-2010

CPH Certification in Singapore Surpasses the 100th Mark

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +1100

Number of Landscape Professionals with Certified Practising Horticulturist Certification in Singapore Surpasses the 100^th Mark

As of December 2011, another 12 landscape professionals joined the ranks as Certified Practising Horticulturists (CPH) in Singapore after successfully completing their course work and examinations. This brings the total number of certified professionals to 104 in Singapore which is a significant milestone for a homegrown programme which only began in 2008.

CPH certification training is a first of its kind in Asia for practicing horticulturists to seek recognition of their professional status. The programme is accredited with the Australian Institute of Horticulture (AIH), a recognised institution of horticulture in the region with more than a 50 year history. The President of AIH, Kim Morris heralded CUGE’s CPH Programme as “among the best professional development review courses of its kind in the world.”

This sterling endorsement underscores the rigorous standards of CUGE certification training and standards and goes a long way to add credibility and an international dimension to its CPH certification.

The current intake for CPH programme which commenced in November 2011 also saw another first – a senior industry participant from UAE participating in the CPH programme. The CPH programme continues to grow in stature and is held in high regard by landscape professionals for its quality horticulture training.

CUGE invites suitably qualified landscape professionals to apply early for the certification programme in 2012. Details of the certification programme can be found at CUGE website at www.cuge.com.sg. Interested participants can also contact CUGE/Penny Teng via DID: 64629001 to register their interest early.