Postgraduate study and research

Postgraduate Diploma in Forestry

• Find out more about the Postgraduate Diploma in Forestry

Any student who satisfactorily completes the Postgraduate Diploma in Forestry is eligible for enrolment in the second year of a two year Master of Forestry Science degree.

Master of Forestry Science

• Find out more about the Master of Forestry Science

The Master of Forestry Science degree can be completed by coursework, by coursework and thesis, or by thesis alone. Candidates with a Bachelor of Forestry Science with Honours can select any of these options. Candidates with any four-year degree in appropriate subjects at an acceptable grade, or with a Postgraduate Diploma in Forestry may also be considered for all categories depending on their background and the nature of the research topic. Otherwise they will be eligible for categories A and B. Candidates who have met all the requirements for a Postgraduate Diploma in Forestry may transfer to Masters A or C without taking up the Postgraduate Diploma.

Doctor of Philosophy

• Find out more about the Doctor of Philosophy

There are exciting research opportunities in Forest Engineering. Questions about how best to maximise production efficiency of mechanised operations; or how to minimise the environmental impacts of forest operations, or about how to integrate new technology still need to be addressed.

The Forest Engineering programme enjoys a very high level of support from the New Zealand forest industry, with many companies and harvesting contractors prepared to help out.

Currently we are able to offer a PhD degree in Forest Engineering, but no specifically endorsed Forest Engineering Master's degree. For students with an engineering background the most suitable path is to enrol in Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering. Students with a forestry background should enrol in a Master's in Forestry Science. Please contact Rien Visser to discuss your options.

Rien Visser

Professor

School of Forestry Rm 233

Phone: +6433695962

Internal Phone: 95962

rien.visser@canterbury.ac.nz

The University makes a number of postgraduate scholarships available, please check the UC Scholarship website. Depending on funding from external sources, we can sometimes offer research stipends for postgraduate students.

Please contact jeanette.allen@canterbury.ac.nz for information about UC PhD and Masters Scholarships and the TW Adams scholarship. In addition to these there may be scholarships available for a targeted research project. Such scholarships will be advertised in the School of Forestry news.

• See the Scholarships database for all available Scholarships

For general inquiries contact our Co-ordinator. If you have an inquiry about research, contact the relevant academic staff member.

Jeanette Allen

School Coordinator

School of Forestry Rm 131

Phone: +6433695881

Internal Phone: 95881

jeanette.allen@canterbury.ac.nz

Over half of the world’s people live in urban areas; in New Zealand the number of urban residents exceeds 85%! The trees that comprise urban forests help to make cities liveable, providing residents with healthy, sustainable, and desirable places to live and work. If you’re interested in studying tree growth, function, management, or ecosystem services in an urban environment, we’d like to hear from you.

Justin Morgenroth

Associate Professor

Postgraduate Director of Studies

School of Forestry Rm143

Phone: +6433695966

Internal Phone: 95966

justin.morgenroth@canterbury.ac.nz

1. Further develop a mechanistic model of small tree and weed interactions for pasture and brushweed-covered sites.
2. Model tree responses to varying intensities and durations of weed control in a more abstract way using a large dataset from existing experiments.
3. Study the mid-rotation effects of establishment practices and refine linkages between small tree models and models of older crop growth.
4. Compare existing ways of modelling diameter over stubs with more mechanistic alternatives.

Euan Mason

Professor

School of Forestry Rm 142

Phone: +6433692071

Internal Phone: 92071

euan.mason@canterbury.ac.nz

1. Expand the Selwyn Plantation Board limited (SPBL) growth and yield modelling system incorporating new data, while determining the right mix of individual tree and diameter distribution models to provide the best possible tree-level projections.
2. Link this growth and yield modelling system, SPBL's GIS system and the company's forest information system into a forest estate modelling framework. Then use this spatial estate model in a pilot study to evaluate management options for SPBL.
3. Compare alternative strategies for mixing conventional growth and yield models with models that include a higher level of biological detail (sometimes labelled "process-level models"). Ability of any given mixture to project independent measures of tree and stand growth in permanent sample plots throughout the SPBL estate will be the main criterion for choosing a modelling strategy.

Euan Mason

Professor

School of Forestry Rm 142

Phone: +6433692071

Internal Phone: 92071

euan.mason@canterbury.ac.nz

1. Analysis of log price variation over time. Incorporation of stochastic log prices into forest planning and valuation.
2. Carbon accounting. Impacts of carbon credits on forest planning and forest valuation.

Bruce Manley

Professor

Head of School

School of Forestry Rm232

Phone: +6433692407

bruce.manley@canterbury.ac.nz

1. Impacts and management of insect pests of eucalypts
2. Biological control of insect pests
3. Understanding the behavioural characteristics of parasitoid biocontrol agents to avoid non-target impacts
4. Mycorrhizal associations with eucalypts in New Zealand & implication for susceptibility to pests and disease
5. Maori perspectives on Biosecurity

Steve Pawson

Associate Professor

School of Forestry Room 231

Phone: +6433690492

Internal Phone: 90492

steve.pawson@canterbury.ac.nz

Professor Norton will retire in late February 2022. We expect to have a new appointment who will have broad interests in this research area by February 2022. Enquiries relating to thesis supervision can be forwarded to forestry@canterbury.ac.nz and these would be held until the new member of academic staff is on board.

Professor David Norton

Emeritus Professor (Retired)

david.norton@canterbury.ac.nz

The track record of wood as a building material used by humans extends several 1000s of years. Despite this, many of its properties are not understood. The wood science group at the NZ School of Forestry works on the fundamental level towards a better understanding of wood as a material and the applied level to unsure the wood processing industry has a reliable wood resource.

A particular focus is on the establishment of a sustainable naturally-durable timber resource (www.NZDFI.org.nz).

Don’t hesitate to contact the School if you are interested in research questions such as:

Natural durability

• How can we quickly assess natural durability?
• What makes timber naturally durable?
• What influences heartwood formation?

Utilisation of small diameter logs in particular of durable eucalypts (thinnings, top logs, ‘small’ species)

• What products can be manufactured from small diameter logs?
• How does utilisation of these logs improve the profitability plantations?

Tree breeding for wood properties

• Screening tools: How can we achieve early assessment with quick methods of breeding trials?
• Example traits are resin canals, ring checking, pulp and paper properties, natural durability, warp, stiffness, growth-stress…

Near Infrared spectroscopy (NIR) of wood

• Developing NIR calibrations for wood properties.

Wood cell walls

• Wood properties are determined to a large degree by the molecular structure of the cell walls.
• What is the supramolecular architecture of the wood cell wall?
• How do cell walls generate growth-stresses? 

Knots

• Knots are the main feature causing downgrade of timber.
• How do some tree species self-prune?
• What are the mechanical properties of knots?

Clemens Altaner

Associate Professor

School of Forestry Rm140

Phone: +6433695949

Internal Phone: 95949

clemens.altaner@canterbury.ac.nz