The Victorian School of Forestry (VSF) was established in October 1910 at Creswick. It was located at the former Creswick Hospital, built in 1863 during the gold rush. The creation of VSF was one of the many recommendations of a Royal Commission held between 1897 and 1901 into forest degradation. The first tertiary forestry school in Australia, VSF was administered by the Forests Commission Victoria (FCV) until 1980, when VSF amalgamated with the University of Melbourne to become that institution's School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences. Over the period from 1910 to 1980, 522 students completed the Diploma of Forestry at VSF.Limited Edition Print number 92 of 200. Framed Print - Hospital and Spring Hill from Church Street, Creswick" by T.G. Moyle, 1881Published by Trustees of Creswick Historical Museum 1981. Gift from Lorraine Carr (wife of Neil Carr ) in 2003 written on label on back

Soon after the outbreak of World War Two, the British Government requested experienced forestry soldiers from Australia, New Zealand and Canada to be deployed in France as part of the British Expeditionary Force. The first Forestry Company (2/1) was based in Sydney with men from NSW, Queensland and South Australia, led by Captain Cyril Richard Cole, a professional forester from the Australian Capital Territory. The second Forestry Company (2/2) included many Forests Commission staff, local sawmillers and experienced bushmen from Victoria, WA and Tasmania including veterans of the First World War. They were led by Captain Andrew Leonard (Ben) Benallack, a graduate from the Victorian School of Forestry in 1922. Both Forestry Companies sailed from Fremantle on the Stratheden in late May 1940 and landed in England not long after the evacuation of Dunkirk. The foresters were recalled to Australia at the insistence of Prime Minister John Curtin in late 1943 because of the War in the Pacific. After reequipping and some refresher training in jungle warfare at Kapooka the 2/2 Forestry Company was deployed to Lae in Papua New Guinea in May 1944. This photograph was probably taken in Australia before deployment to PNG.Photo in wooden frame of Royal Australian Engineers Forestry Company

A set of 952 slides in wooden drawers used by the Forest Comission of Victoria an at the VSF from thealry 1900s through to the 1950s.Glass lantern slide collection

Australian Forestry School. Handed onto the ANU in 1965. Covering: rainforests; botany; erosion; Murray River; USA Forestry services; Pine plantations; Forests Commission Victoria;Tasmania forest scenes. 500 slides in 10 wooden boxes and 16 small cardboard packets.Glass lantern slide collection - approx 600 slidesMultiple boxes of glass slides. Many are in 'Hammer Lantern Plates' slide boxes.

This is a folio of photographs of the Creswick Plantations presented to the 1928 Empire Forestry Conference. related to item 1434. 2 additional folios -State Nursery Macedon. Ballarat Botanic Gardens. Photographs of mature specimens of timber trees from the State plantation Creswick, the State Nursery Macedon and the Ballarat Botanic Gardens. Photographs loosely bound into 3 sets. 2 x dark brown loose covers, 1 x dark green loose cover, bound with coloured embroidery thread.PhotographsPresented to the delegates to the 1928 Empire Forestry conference by the Forests Commission of Victoria

The ABCC (Australian Building and Construction Commission) was first created during the government of John Howard (LNP). The ABCC claims to, "ensuring that building work in Australia is carried out fairly, efficiently and productively—for the benefit of all employers and workers in the industry, and for the benefit of the Australian economy as a whole." Conversely, the organisation has been claimed by unions and workers to be anti-union and detrimental to the working conditions of employees. A fact sheet from the CFMMEU is attached to this entry. Malcolm Turnbull was Prime Minister from 2015 to 2018. He became Prime Minister after deposing Tony Abbott, in a leadership challenge. The bumper sticker was produced by CFMMEU during the Turnbull Prime Ministership (2015-2018). The CFMMEU is one of the largest unions; membership coverage includes construction, forestry, maritime, mining, energy, textile, clothing and footwear production. Relevant to government, industrial relations and trade unions in Australia.Bumper sticker: colour picture of Malcolm Turnbull; red and white lettering. Stop the ABCC: Turnbull's War on Workers Subtext: exploits workers; destroys jobs; lies; attacks safety; ignores big business; union bashing; CFMEU.btlc, ballarat trades hall, ballarat trades and labour council, cfmeu, turnbull, malcolm, prime ministers - australia, liberal party australia, abcc, australian building and construction commission, industrial relations, cfmmeu, construction, forestry, maritime, mining and energy union, construction, forestry, mining and energy union, trade unions - australia

The goldfields resulted in the almost complete denuding of trees for access to the gold bearing land, for firewood and for the tanning industry. The need for wood further increased with the advent of deep quartz mining that required timbers for shoring up the shafts and tunnels. At some point in time it became necessary for timber to be carted long distances to fulfil the need. Between 1878 and 1884, the government set up 5 nurseries to try and rectify the shortage of native softwoods and encouraged the growth of State plantations and the thinning of trees to encourage growth of those remaining. 1907 - Creswick School of Forestry and Forest Management was started 1919 Establishment of the Forests Commission and the planting of many pine plantations 1924 Establishment of the first fire spotting towers Forest management tasks became a main project for "Susso" recipients during the Great Depression and again for internees during WWII.An 8 page document by David Bannear about the various industries of the Bendigo Goldfields and their effects on terraforming the local environment david bannear, central goldfields

Decimal currency was spectacularly introduced in an overnight overthrow on 14 February 1966, but it took another 8 years before metrication finally arrived in the forest and timber industry. Eventually, the measurement of logs and sawn timber changed from imperial, and excruciating, measures such as super feet of sawn timber, billets and cunits (100 cubic feet) of stacked pulpwood and hoppus log volumes to simpler cubic metres. Measuring firewood was a particular nightmare. For example, there were standard chords, stove cords, kitchen cords, running cords, face cords, thrown chords, fencing cords, country cords, long cords, raummeter or steres (1m x 1m x 1m). A standard cord of firewood had a volume of 128 cubic feet, measured as a pile 8 feet long, 4 feet high and 4 feet wide (3.624 m3). And how about this for confusing…. in Victoria, an imperial or long ton (by measure) of green firewood was a stack 5 feet long billets (2 axelengths at 2′ 6″ each), one axelength high (2′ 6″) and two axelengths long (5 feet) equalling 62.5 cubic feet. For added befuddlement, there were three different sorts of tons: Imperial tons or long tons, American short tons and metric tonnes (spelled with two n’s). Not forgetting that a cubic imperial ton of firewood (40 cubic feet) which equalled 1.133 cubic metre. The metrication process began in 1974 and was completed by 1976 but the transition was not without its challenges along the supply chain for foresters, overseers, logging contractors, sawmillers, hardware stores and builders alike. Timber lengths changed from feet to metres but were still sold in multiples of one foot or 0.3 m (1.8, 2.1, 2.4, 2.7 etc) whereas a menacing lump of 4-Bee-2 transformed into a rather less colourful 100mm by 50mm. Measurement and calculations of area also became so much easier in hectares rather than complicated acres, roods and perches. The Forest Metriverter slide-rule was issued by the Forestry and Timber Bureau to make metric conversions easier.Forest MetriverterRoss Pennyforest measurement, surveying, forests commission victoria (fcv)

Forestry House was the fist time that Forests Commission Head office staff had been housed in a purpose built building in Melbourne 601 Bourke street is on the corner of Bourke and King streets The building opened in the late 1970s but staff relocated in the late 1980s after the formation of the Department of Conservation Forests and Lands (CFL)Large wooden sigh from outside Forestry House at 601 Bourke Streetforests commission victoria (fcv), forest signs

Was recovered from the Forestry School at CreswickDennis Turbine engine fire pump Guildford motor Dated April 15 1921forests commission victoria (fcv), fire pump, bushfire

The Forests Commission and its successors continuously encouraged bushfire research and innovation. In 1946 a large parcel of industrial land was purchased at North Altona as a fire cache and workshop. The Altona workshop became a hotbed of new technological innovation… an exhilarating place where lots of things were invented and tested. In fact, a lot of Australia’s pioneering equipment development was led by staff from Altona, often in collaboration with other State forestry and fire authorities. The CSIRO also contributed significantly. The US Forest Service, the US Bureau of Land Management and US State agencies such as the California Department of Forestry and Fire (CalFire) as well as the Canadian Forest Service faced similar challenges and proved strong and willing partners in sharing knowledge, ideas, equipment and expertise over many decades. This collection of badges is testament to the relationships that were forged across the globe with the Altona workshop. Large display panel featuring many fire service badgesforests commission victoria (fcv), bushfire, bushfire aviation

Conrad Wood (Woody) graduated from the Victorian School of Forestry in 1957, and after postings with the Forests Commission Victoria (FCV) at Swifts Creek and Sirex surveys, he gravitated into the Forest Protection Division in Head Office in the early 1960s. He championed the setting up of proper contractual arrangements for aviation and was involved in implementing the first ongoing, organised contracts for firebombing in eastern Victoria in the 1960s. An early recipient of a prestigious Churchill Fellowship, Woody travelled extensively throughout 1969 in North America and Europe studying aviation in forestry and firefighting. Afterwards he was very active amongst the Churchill alumni. Woody had a passion for innovation and new technology and was instrumental in introducing new aircraft types and new approaches for forest firefighting and forest management. Amongst many other things, he played a major role in organising the trial of a RAAF C130 equipped with MAFFS for firebombing in south-eastern Australia in 1982-84, even piloting the lead plane. His inimitable style was crucial in successfully bringing together the cultures of the myriad organisations involved. Con advocated for the introduction of helicopters. He developed aerial fertilising and seeding techniques for forest management. He even managed to get involved in cloud seeding experiments for forest fire suppression and for improving water yield. Along with aviation, Conrad was passionate about literature, football, politics, food, drink, motorbikes, gardening and Glen Iris, to name a few. He was a committed campaigner on social justice issues and for many years read for vision-impaired people on public radio. He died in 2014. This painting of Woody by notable Australian artist Joyce McGrath OAM (also a Churchill Fellow) was done in the 1980s. Joyce asked Conrad to sit for this portrait which she planned to enter the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize. The portrait hung in Churchill House in Canberra, but when a new building was erected, it was returned to the artist/owner. The painting is now owned by Clare Harwood and is on permanent loan to the Forests Commission Retired Personnel Association (FCRPA) and is displayed at DEECA's Altona Museum.Painting of Conrad Wood by Australian artist Joyce McGrath OAMbushfire, bushfire aviation

In the post-war era from 1947 to the mid-1980s, the Forests Commission sponsored Australia's only military sawmilling unit, the 91 Forestry Squadron. It was a special reserve unit of the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE). Established and commanded by Commission forester and WW2 veteran, Major Ben Benallack, the "Woodpeckers" as they were known comprised a small pool of specialised soldiers capable of rapid mobilisation in the event of need. Several other Victorian departments such as the State Electricity Commission (SEC) did the same thing who supported a construction squadron based at Newborough in the Latrobe Valley. The scheme created a very active and capable part-time military group that completed many worthy projects across the State. In addition to their military training, the Woodpeckers operated bush sawmills, built timber bridges along the Murray River, the Snake Island Jetty, forest roads and performed various demolition tasks.Presentation plaque from the "Woodpeckers" Mounted on polished wooden burl forests commission victoria (fcv)

In 1949 the Commonwealth Forestry and Timber Bureau proposed a national planting program to make Australia more self-reliant in timber products after the shortages experienced during the war. The threat of introduced sirex woodwasp from Europe in the early 1950s and its eventual discovery on the Australian mainland in 1961 brought the softwood plantation program into question. However, quarantine and control measures using tree destruction and a nematode parasite was put in place.Sirex noctilio was a serious threat to softwood plantations in AustraliaSirex wood wasps encased in resinplantations, forests commission victoria (fcv)

Foresters usually measure the diameter of trees at Breast Height – traditionally 4 foot, 6 inches – now 1.3 m – which is termed Diameter Breast Height Over Bark (DBHOB). Basal Area is the cross section of the tree trunk at breast height, and the sum for the stand or group of trees is expressed square feet per acre (after 1973 it was expressed in square metres per hectare). Lots of skinny trees, or a few fat ones, can have the same Basal Area, but when combined with the number of stems, Basal Area is a good indicator of stand density. Two common methods are used to measure of Basal Area – fixed area plots and angle count sampling. 1. Fixed area plots require setting out a small area, commonly 50 m x 20 m, and measuring all the trees at breast height, and doing some quick sums. 2. Angle count sampling involves a simple sweep of the forest from a fixed sampling point using a relascope, dendrometer sight, angle gauge, or glass wedge prism. This wooden builders ruler has been shaped at one end to create a shallow angle (usually less than 3 degrees). Standing in one spot, a sweep is made with the wedge held to the eye, and trees are counted as either “in” or “out”. The number of trees is multiplied by conversion factor of the wedge (10 in this case) to estimate basal area. It’s very quick and effective.Basal Area Angle Gauge The two ends fold up and one end (on the right) has been reduced in width to create a shallow angle for the viewer Home made by cutting down a wooden builder's ruler Many forestry students made their own Basal Area Angle Gauges and its thought this may be oneforest measurement, forests commission victoria (fcv)

This sign proudly hung outside the Forests Commission Victoria (FCV) Beechworth office which is now site of the Forestry Heritage Museum. The granite building in the Beechworth's historic precinct was once the Gold Warden's Office and is one of the town's original buildings. The FCV was the main government authority responsible for management and protection of State forests in Victoria between 1918 and 1983. The Commission was responsible for ″forest policy, prevention and suppression of bushfires, issuing leases and licences, planting and thinning of forests, the development of plantations, reforestation, nurseries, forestry education, the development of commercial timber harvesting and marketing of produce, building and maintaining forest roads, provision of recreation facilities, protection of water, soils and wildlife, forest research and making recommendations on the acquisition or alienation of land for forest purposes″. The Forests Commission had a long and proud history of innovation and of managing Victoria's State forests but in September 1983 lost its discrete identity when it was merged into the newly formed Victorian Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands (CFL) along with the Crown Lands and Survey Department, National Park Service, Soil Conservation Authority and Fisheries and Wildlife Service. After the amalgamation the management of State forests and the forestry profession continued but the tempo of change accelerated, with many more departmental restructures occurring over the subsequent four decades. Responsibilities are currently split between the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), Forests Fire Management Victoria (FFMV), Parks Victoria, Melbourne Water, Alpine Resorts Commission, the State Government-owned commercial entity VicForests and the privately owned Hancock Victorian Plantations (HVP).Large office sign. Hand painted in traditional FCV mission brown and gold colour scheme.forests commission victoria (fcv), forest signs

Before metrication was introduced into Australia in the 1970s land was measured in chains and links. Many old parish plans show length measurements in chains and links. Area was shown in acres, roods and perches. Gunter's chain was used for measuring distance in surveying. It was designed and introduced in 1620 by English clergyman and mathematician Edmund Gunter (1581–1626). Gunter developed the measuring chain of 100 links. The chain and the link, became statutory measures in England and subsequently the British Empire. After metrication units of length were measured in meters and area in hectares. The chain was later superseded by steel ribbon tape.The 66 foot long brass Gunter's Chain is divided into 100 links (each 7.92 inches long), and marked off into groups of 10 by shaped tags which simplify intermediate measurement. It was heavy but flexible enough to be dragged through the bush on surveying transects.(Hence the common forestry term "chainman). The chain was a precision part of a surveyor's equipment. It required frequent calibration, yet needed to be sturdy enough to be dragged through rough terrain for years. It has brass hand grips at each end of chain. 1 chain = 100 links = 22 yards = 66 feet = 792 inches. 10 chains = furlong 80 chains = 1 mile 1 acre = 10 square chains = 4 roods (1/4 acre) = 40 perches.forest measurement, surveying, forests commission victoria (fcv)

The Aerial Drip Torch (ADT) was an idea conceived in Canada in the 1970s by John Muraro It was developed in 1982 by the New Zealand Forest Service to become the Ashley Aphid Helitorch. Forestry Tasmania acquired one of the machines and modified it in February 1987. Also known as a dragon helitorch it consisted of a large 135-litre tank containing jellied petrol, a displacement pump, propane ignition system, burner nozzle and fire extinguisher system. It was first trialled in Victoria at Swifts Creek in 1991 and the Aerial Drip Torch (ADT) has now become standard practice.Two Aerial Drip Torches (ADTs) were built in the 1990s by the Fire Equipment Development Centre at North Altona, They were developed in conjunction with the Department of Conservation and Land Management in Western Australia. The first was trialled during the 1991/92 autumn burning season. The machine proved to be successful and a second machine was introduced in 1998 to assist with burning operations across the State. The ADTs were commonly used for regeneration burning (controlled burning of logging slash). The first ADT introduced in 1992 had a dry weight of 160kg and a capacity of 130 litres, providing about an hour of operation. Following initial use, systematic modifications were adapted including improved ignition of gel at the drop tube, installation of an air bleed valve at the pump to assist pump priming and improved mounting brackets for the CO2 bottles and propane canister attached to the machine. The second, and lightweight ADT, introduced in 1998 had a dry weight of 68kg and a capacity of 200 litres due to a smaller lightweight frame and plastic (Polyfin) tank. In operation the ADT is suspended below a helicopter via four strops attached to the vessel and a cable to the helicopter cargo hook. Gelled fuel is dispensed via a drop tube which is attached to the pump outlet of the machine, and ignited via a gas torch. Safety features built into the first ADT were: a brass melting plug designed to be activated at 200 C bursting disc designed to burst at170 Kpa should the vessel over pressurise. a pressure relief valve set to 35 Kpa ( vessel operated between 16 &34 Kpa) a low pressure sensor designed to shut down the machine should the vessel pressure drop below 15Kpa. the vessel is filled with CO2 above the gelled fuel to eliminate ignition with in the vessel. CO2 is used to expel any residue of ignited gel from the drop tube to prevent ignition when flying outside the boundaries of the burning area. See FIRE EQUIPMENT NOTE - 46 [ https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CKtcH-3rUlrtbE9dkNP27PYT2-raVVhF/view ]forests commission victoria (fcv), bushfire, bushfire aviation, planned burning

Timber panels salvaged from the foyer of Forestry House 601 Bourke Street in late1980s. The material for the plaques was assembled in carpenters shop in FCV districts throughout the State. Timber was kiln dried by M. Feiglin & Sons at Nunawading and erected by Peter Danby Pty. Ltd. Two highly decorative panels thought to be carved by Robert Prenzel in about 1908. Closely linked to FCV Forestry House in MelbourneTimber Display PanelTwo highly carved panels were possibly made by Robert Prenzel in about 1908. Alternatively, in about 1994, forester Norm Endacott took them to the National Gallery for inspection by an expert in Australian wood carvers of early 20th century who thought they may have been by Lewis John Godfrey.forests commission victoria (fcv)

Nine panels showing Fire in Victoria from Black Thursday 1851to 1951

ill, maps, p.22.non-fictionA history of the Climax geared locomotive from its time on the Victorian Forestry Commission railway near Erica, to preservation on the Puffing Billy railway.preserved locomotives - victoria - history, puffing billy - victoria - history