Forestry Specialist at Balolongi Sawmill Piet Retief (2024-04 – Present)
Balolongi Sawmill is a medium scale sawmill with an annual revenue averaging R 10 million, located in the town of Piet Retief south of Mpumalanga Province producing structural pine products. My main responsibility as a forestry specialist is to set up a dynamic log supply process to ensure a constant continuous supply of raw material and handle overall management of the business.
- Sawmill production management and optimization
- Oversee timber extraction transport, and delivery
- Design Implement and maintain Strategic Production Plans for optimal product recovery
- Monitor daily production and maintain accurate progress records
- Product quality audits and fault inspections
- Annual production planning, and budget preparation
NBS Project Development Coordinator at South Pole Carbon Africa (2022-12 – 2024-01)
As a member of the African Projects team, I coordinated the development and implementation of emission reduction projects through all stages of the carbon project cycle, from design through validation, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) to credit issuance. Working across multiple carbon standards (VCS, CCBS, and GS4GS) and local/international schemes, I served as a key liaison between project managers, carbon standards, and internal stakeholders to ensure timely delivery of project milestones.
- Carbon Project Development Cycle Coordination: Managed submission and review processes for project documentation required for registration, validation, and verification under multiple carbon standards
- Stakeholder Coordination & Communication: Facilitated ongoing coordination between project teams, carbon standards/registries, and internal departments to track project timelines and deliverables
- Standards & Registry Management: Served as point of contact with carbon standards and registries, coordinating project review deadlines and supporting audit processes for validation and verification of GHG reductions
- Portfolio Support & Reporting: Provided operational support for carbon estimations and tracked multiple projects across diverse landscapes (ARR, REDD+, and Spekboom regeneration), ensuring delivery of high-quality project documents and monitoring reports
- Documentation & Process Management: Drafted and structured project design documents, work plans, schedules, budgets, and certification deliverables to meet standard requirements
- Business Development Support: Provided technical and commercial support for project sourcing and feasibility assessments
Forest planning internship at South African Forests Company Ltd (2018-05 – 2020-05)
As a Forest Planning Intern, I gained comprehensive experience across strategic planning, forest operations, and data management, working with industry-leading forestry software and FSC compliance standards.
- Developed and executed Tactical Management Plans for IFLOMA plantation in alignment with strategic objectives
- Managed area delineation projects establishing new forestry plantation boundaries to FSC standards, including removal of plantations on seasonal wetlands
- Prepared and coordinated fire preparedness and open area management plans
- Contributed to annual planting plans and silviculture/thinning planning
- Audited and updated compartment enumeration data; performed remapping of plantation resources
- Conducted Google Earth image geo-referencing for land-use and change detection projects
- Maintained Permanent Sample Plot (PSP) databases and research trial data logging, including Pine Thinning research trials
- Managed forestry resource information and remote sensing initiatives for forest health monitoring
- Implemented and maintained Operating Harvesting Plans (OHP) for active compartments; oversaw timber transport, collection, and delivery operations
- Monitored daily production targets and maintained accurate progress records; conducted regular in-field inspections and quality assessments to ensure productivity and compliance
- Assistant Silviculture Forester for Bergvliet plantation: supervised blanking operations, and implemented comprehensive fire management protocols including firebreak burning and fire belt implementation
- Managed Safety, Health & Environment (SHE) system files and registers; performed in-field safety and quality assessments
- Contributed to annual silviculture and thinning plans and budget preparation
