Michelle Freeman Email & Phone Number

Healesville, Vic, Au

Forestry Australia is a professional association representing forest scientists, professionals, managers and growers. Members operate in all aspects of forest and natural resource management, including forest conservation, fire management and growing trees for timber and other products and benefits.Forestry professionals and growers, informed by the science of natural resource management, play a crucial role in shaping the future of forests. We advocate balanced land use that meets society’s needs for sustainable forest management, supply of forest products, bushfire and climate change mitigation and conservation outcomes. #AskTheExpertsMy contribution to Forestry Australia is focused on good governance, supporting the CEO to implement initiatives that increase the value of membership, including professional development, and advancing public advocacy for good forest management.

Victoria, Australia

Victoria, Australia

Hollow-wood is a niche forest and land management consultancy with strong technical forestry, GIS and remote sensing, community engagement and forest policy, regulation and compliance expertise in the Australia and Pacific region.I have expertise in native forest management operations, planning and regulation, including data analysis in R, process and systems development and strategy.

The Forest Stewardship Council is an independent, not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation that is governed by its members. It supports environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management through the development of locally-relevant standards. As a Board representative for the Social Chamber my role is to ensure good governance that upholds the values of Social Chamber members whilst advancing and protecting the cause of FSC Australia.

Batemans Bay

The purpose of the Forestry Corporation of NSW is to grow sustainably. manage profitably and meet the needs of our changing world.As part of the Hardwood Forests Divisions, I was responsible for developing detailed operational forest plans that deliver environmental, community and operational outcomes in line with regulatory and corporate policies and standards. Constructive consultation and collaboration with key internal and external stakeholders was a core element of the role.I was a forest firefighter, duty officer and Incident Management Team operations liaison officer throughout the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires on the South Coast of NSW.

Melbourne, Australia

In the Forest Regulation Unit of the Forests, Fire and Regions group my team worked to ensure continuous improvement of the regulatory framework governing State forests through an ambitious reform program.

Melbourne

Through the School of BioSciences at the University of Melbourne and collaborating with the Tiwi Land Council and the CSIRO Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre in Darwin as part of the Tiwi Carbon Study (funded by the Department of Environment) I investigated tree population dynamics and sapling traits as they relate to fire response in savannas of the Northern Territory.

National

The establishment of a Forest Industry Advisory Council was one of the Coalition’s key election commitments to revitalise the forestry industry. The FIAC advises Federal Government on building a positive future for the forestry industry in Australia, provides informative consultation and recommendations on proposed legislation and policies impacting on the industry.During my term, the FIAC released its paper "Transforming Australia’s forest products industry – Recommendations from the Forest Industry Advisory Council", which outlines a vision and strategies for addressing the opportunities and challenges for the forest industry to 2050 and beyond. The Australian Government used the FIAC paper as the basis for developing the national forest industries plan: "Growing a Better Australia – A Billion Trees for Jobs and Growth"

The aim of the Future Foresters Initiative committee is to create a platform for young forest managers who are passionate and engaged with their profession, have strong networks and are active in promoting and contributing to sound forest management. This will be achieved through a strong focus on networking and professional development.

Melbourne, Australia

As a casual Project Officer, I was employed to coordinate and deliver VicForests' new business-wide strategic Forest Management Policy and Plan to meet requirements of both Australian Forest Stewardship (AFS) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification standards and reflect VicForests business values and aims. These documents may be viewed here: http://www.vicforests.com.au/vicforests-forest-management-system/policies-procedures-and-instructions

The Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA) is a non-profit professional body whose members are engaged in all branches of forest management and conservation in Australia. My personal missions as a Director on the IFA Board were to:- Contribute to strategy and policy setting for the IFA- Represent the views of young professional foresters and women at board level - Develop strategies for better engaging and providing value to the IFA membership - Develop opportunities for young professionals and women through IFA programs

Alexandra

Working in the Operations division, I was responsible for the timely planning and coordination of coupe harvesting operations in the Central Highlands region of Victoria. Negotiation, interpersonal skills and strong understanding of environmental, operational and business drivers were key to the role. During my time with VicForests I also undertook secondments to the Planning division in East Gippsland and Central HighlandsKey components of this position included:- Coupe plan development - Auditing plans and operations against codes of practice, legislation and regulations- Forestry contractor management - Special projects, including Harvesting Systems and Business Review projects- Field reconnaissance and development of tactical plans- ArcGIS editing, analysis and map creation

Geelong

This role required the higher level coordination of resources and priorities across a range of environmental and recreation programs in the south west of Victoria. Engagement, liaison and developing of professional relationships were key to the role.Key components of my position included:- South West Area Pest and Weed Program coordination- Statewide Pest and Weeds Committee representation- Recreation Strategy development - Trimble GPS, ArcGIS and data management proficiency- Wood Utilisation Planning Coordination

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Forest Ecology, Complete

My PhD thesis is entitled "From Little Things, Big Things Grow - Savanna burning, suppressed trees and escape from the fire trap.

Bachelor Of Forestry (Honours) / Bachelor Of Science, Science Major In Ecology

Vce