Justin Erasmus graduated from the Department of Forest and Wood Science in 2020 with a PhD focused on how silvicultural prescriptions might affect wood properties in pine. Since then, he has been on a sojourn between the forestry areas of Mpumalanga and the Western Cape. Justin now re-joins the department as a postdoctoral researcher. His main research will focus on using remote and proximal methods to assess timber harvesting residues on the ground, considering their size distribution and location on site.

Harvesting residues primarily consist of tree branches and tops, which can either impede or promote activities such as site preparation and re-planting, fire risk, soil organic matter and biogeochemical cycles, CO2 accounting, pest and pathogens, and bioenergy feedstocks. The project will also evaluate residue treatment methods, like mulching or windrowing, and their efficacy using similar remote sensing methods. His project is funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and administered through Forestry South Africa (FSA).

Article and Photo supplied by Prof Bruce Talbot