Three Scion staff were recognised in the second annual Future Forests Research Awards, presented in August. The awards were:

Communication and Sector Engagement
Won by Senior Scientist Graham West. The judges said that as programme manager of the FFR’s radiata theme for the past 5 years, Graham had set high standards for communicating research results and was able to communicate complex and often difficult science areas in a simple way.

Science of International Quality
Won by Wood Quality Scientist Mark Riddell for the development of a new method of assessing spiral grain in trees. Spiral rather than straight grain can affect the strength and uniformity of wood products.

Contribution to a Science Team
Won by Charlie Low - Task Leader for Cypress Breeding and for Genetic Resources. The judges described his level of knowledge on a range of exotic forestry species on a range of sites as encyclopedic, and noted that he willingly shares his knowledge with anyone. He is also the specialist on other species that may be alternative commercial species, such as Abies and Mexican pines.