Bachelor of Forestry Science with Honours
Harvest Planning Manager, Rayonier/Matariki Forests
It may not be everyone's first thought when it comes to careers in forestry, but for Amy it is the people that make the industry special.
"One of the best things about my job is that I get to meet and work with a wide range of people," she says. "I visit our crews, do health and safety and environmental audits, plus office work and meetings. It makes it very dynamic as I'm doing something different every day of the week."
It was also what Amy enjoyed most about her experience at university.
"The School of Forestry at UC itself became almost like a second family, especially with the amount of time you end up spending there in the latter years," she says. "The lecturers and the students themselves are what really make it worthwhile. Lifelong mates are created between times of studying and having a good time!"
Amy says that she chose to study Forestry "on a whim", but soon became sure it was the right decision.
"I had some input from my grandmother who took me out to visit a farm forester she knew. It wasn't until I was in the thick of it that I knew this is what I wanted to do."
After completing her degree at UC, Amy landed her first job as a graduate with Rayonier New Zealand/Matariki Forests as a Log Production Coordinator, and is now currently a Harvest Planning Manager.
"The major part of my role involves supervising harvesting crews in terms of harvest planning, log quality, health and safety and the environment. I determine the weekly log grades to be cut based on customer orders and estimated grade outturn in the bush."
Amy feels that her studies set her up well for this role and that in general there are many advantages to studying Forestry Science at UC.
"The degree provides a holistic understanding of the basics required to understand the day-to-day things that occur in the real world of forestry," she says.
"I would say to others, definitely give it a go. You learn a vast range of skills such as management, economics, soils, wood science, harvesting, environmental forestry, biosecurity… the list goes on. The career paths are endless! Not only that but you get to meet a really awesome bunch of people!"
