20 section of the TIPWG website and that this was a great awareness-generating campaign. The fact the webinar served as a training opportunity for employees of certain FSA members is another feather in the TIPWG hat. In general, post-webinar feedback underscored the event’s value as a knowledge exchange platform and in professional development, affirming its success in fostering community and collaboration. Doing our bit to celebrate and promote women in science. The webinar was timed to coincide with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, celebrated annually on February 11th. Recognised and implemented by UNESCO and UN-Women, this day aims to promote gender equality and encourage the participation of women and girls in the field of science. The current TIPWG team illustrates the integral role women now play in the forestry sector, with three of the four committee members and the entire research panel being female, exemplifying the inclusive nature of the Sector, especially in scientific endeavors – an area where women are underrepresented globally. In conclusion Events like the TIPWG webinar catalyse positive change and progress, driving continuous improvement across the Sector and ensuring sustainable practices are at the heart of forestry operations both today and tomorrow. Ultimately, it is only through initiatives like these and the collaboration that comes from them that we will be able to unlock the resources, innovation, knowledge and understanding needed to address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. If you missed the TIPWG webinar, we urge you to take a look at FSA’s YouTube channel where recordings of all the presentations can be found. proactive environmental stewardship with pest control efficacy. The presentation provided the audience with a better understanding that alongside this being good housekeeping practice through the removal of old and no longer utilised products from the list, it would also save the industry time and money producing individual ESRAs for old and unused products, which has been driven by South Africa’s adoption of The Global Harmonised System of labeling, enabling the product-by-product ESRA approach. Discussing the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) South African National Standard For many, the highlight of the webinar was the panel discussion lead by FSC’s Southern African Coordinator Dr Richard Fergusson. Fergusson provided a great beginner’s guide to FSC and in particular its pesticide policy, before outlining the necessity to review the current national standard and ensure its alignment with global goals, policies, and regulatory requirements. He then handed the floor over to the individual chambers – economic, environmental, and social – of the Standard Development Group tasked with the review. They elaborated on the chamber-specific focuses, providing the audience with a glimpse into where change should be expected, and the timelines involved. 2024 and beyond The webinar garnered great feedback from both the sector and the pesticide industry. By providing an open platform upon which to communicate pesticide use in a forestry context, representatives of the pesticide industry walked away with a greater understanding of the challenges our industry faces and the opportunities for collaboration it presents. For FSA’s members, the post-webinar spike in registrations suggests there is both a need for the information housed on the members-only Spray drone
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