| IRIM ACTIVITIES UP TO YEAR 2003 |
Hey! Another year has passed by and IRIM is now in its 20th year
Meanwhile, after the 16th AGM on 18 April 1998 the new IRIM Council met 5 times, whereby several immediate activities were agreed upon. These activities include:
PARTICIPATION IN WORLD FORESTRY DAY
The 27th World Forestry Day, jointly sponsored by the Terengganu State Government, Forestry Department (Peninsular Malaysia), Malaysian Timber Council, Malaysian Timber Industries Board, Forest Research Institute of Malaysia and Universiti Putra Malaysia, was celebrated at Kuala Terengganu on Saturday, 13 Jun 1998.
In conjunction with
the event IRIM organised the following activities:-
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A radio talk on Radio 3, RTM Kuala Terengganu on 14 June 1998 whereby IRIM president, Haron Abu Hassan deliberated on the roles of IRIM and its stand on current issues related to forestry and forestry associated matters. |
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A talk by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rusli Mohd, Dean, Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia, followed by a forum, both on the same theme, i.e. The Role of Forests in the Conservation of Water Resources for the Nation at Universiti Putra Malaysia, Kuala Terengganu. |
IRIM President, Haron Abu Hassan chaired the forum, with 3 IRIM Council Members (Abdul Aziz Saad, Ahmad Zainal Mat Isa and Dr. Rusli Mohd) and Zulkifli Mokhtar (State Director of Forestry, Terengganu) as penalists. More than 250 participants, mainly students from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Terengganu, Kolej Ugama Sultan Zainal Abidin (KUSZA) and Maktab Rendah MARA Kuala Terengganu attended the talk and forum.
DIALOGUE SESSION ON ACCREDATATION
IRIM, represented
by Wan Yusoff Wan Ahmad and Yap Yee Hwai attended a dialogue session on
accreditation of professional qualification on 9 July 1998 at the Royal
Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur organised by the Balai Ikhtisas Malaysia (BIM).
Among matters discussed were:-
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Implication of World Trade Organisation (WTO) policies on qualification and employment. |
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Accreditation system of professional qualification in Malaysia. |
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Memorandum of Understanding with Lembaga Akreditasi Negara (LAN). |
IRIM WEEKEND
The IRIM Weekend was held on the 30 & 31 October 1998, which included a dinner talk, presentation of Pingat Rimbawan (Forester Gold Medal), visit to the Multi-storied Forest Management Project in Bidor, Perak and golf at Bidor and Ipoh.
The Dinner Talk and
Pingat Rimbawan presentation ceremony on
30 October 1998
in Kuala Lumpur was attended by 34 IRIM members. While enjoying the
buffet spread, the members were presented with talks by two speakers who
are currently engaged in collaborative forestry projects in Malaysia.
The first talk was on the Development of Information Technology and Computerised Mapping by Patrick Hanmer who is the Team Leader and Co-director (European) of the Mapping and Geographical Information System (GIS) Project, Forestry Department Headquarters, Peninsular Malaysia. The second talk was on Sustainable Forest Management and Conservation by Rolf Krezdorn, the Chief Technical Advisor of the Malaysian-German Sustainable Forest Management and Conservation Project in Peninsular Malaysia. The talks were well delivered and members had a good run-down of the two on-going projects. It was generally felt that these projects are timely and would contribute immensely towards the attainment of sustainability of Malaysian forests.
The members also witnessed the presentation of Pingat Rimbawan awards to two recipients, namely Hamra @ Amrah bin Haji Liwangsa and Salim bin Aman. Hamra was awarded for being the best forestry graduate in the 1996/97 academic year. He is currently attached to SAFODA in Sabah. Salim was presented the award for being the best forestry graduate in the 1997/98 academic year. He is currently attached to the Negeri Sembilan State Forestry Department.
The Pingat Rimbawan is traditionally awarded each year by IRIM to the best forestry graduate of UPM. The medals presented at this year’s ceremony were sponsored by the Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB).
For the first time, both the recipients of the medals were also awarded automatic associate membership of IRIM with exemption of the entrance fee and the annual fee for the year 1998/99.
The following morning, 31 October, a 15-member group made a bus trip to the Multi-storied Forest Management Project at the Chikus Forest Reserve in Bidor, Perak. After a sumptious breakfast at the site office the host (the Perak State Forestry Department and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency – JICA - team leader Mr. Sakamoto Susumu) briefed the group on the Project. After the briefing, the group visited the forest nursery which produces potted seedlings of high quality commercial tree species. The members also visited the underplanting trials in the Chikus Forest Reserve where they saw the performance of the dipterocarp species, particularly Shorea leprosula (Meranti tembaga) underplanted in the Acacia mangium plantation under five regimes of different canopy openings to provide different light conditions to the underplanted trees. The regime that give the best performance would provide foresters the choice to raise up multi-storied forest in areas needing rehabilitation.
In the afternoon the group was entertained to lunch at the Kuala Woh Recreational Forest, Tapah. After lunch, golfers in the group had a mini tournament at the Bidor golf course while others proceeded to visit the Forest Museum in Ipoh.
In the evening, the group and friends got together at dinner in a hotel in Ipoh hosted by the Perak State Director of Forestry. In the morning of 1 November, golfers in the group and friends from Ipoh participated in a friendly competition at the Meru Golf and Country Club.
The weekend was a
resounding success and IRIM wishes to thank everybody concerned, particularly
the Perak Forestry Department and JICA for making success possible.
MORE INSTITUTE ACTIVITIES
VISIT TANJUNG TUAN (Cape Rachado) F.R
A trip to Tanjung Tuan (Cape Rachado) Forest Reserve in Melaka was made on 13 March 1999 by a 25-member group of IRIM members, led by its President. Among the interesting places visited were jungle tracks, Virgin Jungle Reserve, lighthouse, coral reef, marine park, birds and other wildlife sanctuary.
One has to see to believe why this coastal forest has been a central issue between developers and conservators recently. Its uniqueness as a haven for birds and numerous other fauna and flora cannot be over-emphasized. A night visit to the forest with a panoramic view from the lighthouse was an even more thrilling experience. Members were overwhelmed by the beauty of the forest, and expressed deep gratitude to the Director of Forestry, Negeri Sembilan/Melaka who played host.
A critical write-up on the opinion of members in the group on the preservation and conservation of Cape Rachado will be forthcoming.
IRIM 10TH ANNIVERSARY GOLF
For the first
time IRIM organised a golf competition among its members and friends on
14 March 1999. It was held at the Kelab Golf DiRaja Palm Springs
on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, thus, the name of the competition.
The challenge trophy was awarded to Harun bin Ismail, the best IRIM golfer
of the day. Due to the encouraging response of members the IRIM Golf
will be added to the annual activity of the Institute.
IRIM 2004