Plantation Forestry Researchers Trained in Chile

Several South American researchers in plantation forestry were recently trained in the use of APSIM.

A three-day training workshop, led by Dr Philip Smethurst (CSIRO) and Prof. Rafael Rubilar (University of Concepcion), included staff from two large Chilean companies and a Colombian company, as well as postgraduate students. Juan Carlos Valverde (PhD candidate, University of Concepcion) organised logistics and provided individual tutoring during the workshop.

We commenced by reviewing ecophysiological principles of plantation growth in relation to their representation in APSIM. Self-guided exercises followed that brought the participants to the level of conducting experiments, comparing predictions with observations, and calibrating input parameters.

Finally, students were encouraged to design and build individual case studies relevant to their interests. Participants worked hard, learnt a lot, and developed an appreciation of how APSIM could be used for their individual or company plantation modelling goals.

In contrast to single-species plantations of mainly Eucalyptus globulus or E. nitens in Australia, there is significant use of hybrids in South America.

The Plantation Forestry training exercises can be downloaded from the Training Manuals tab of the APSIM website, as well as a collection of useful screenshots and other files.