By Muedanyi Ramantswana, Lecturer in Forest Engineering at Nelson Mandela University (NMU)

The Nelson Mandela University forestry students have received forest equipment scale models from John Deere and Bell Equipment, the local dealer of the full range of John Deere equipment. The models were donated for use as training tools to help in teaching and learning of various equipment in forestry. The John Deere scale models comprise of a tracked harvester, forwarder, tracked feller buncher, grapple skidder, track based loader and grader. Bell Equipment donated laser cut wood models of a Bell Logger and Tractor.

According to Muedanyi Ramantswana, Forest Engineering lecturer at the Mandela University, “the majority of first year students who study forestry come straight from high school and they have not been exposed to forest equipment; the scale models bear a good resemblance of real forest equipment and will be useful in practically explaining various technical concepts about forest machines. The students are very grateful to John Deere and Bell Equipment for their generous donations.”

John Deere has invested in education and training of forestry students for many years and in 2013 John Deere donated a wheeled harvester and forwarder laptop simulator, which is currently being used for training, data collection and research by a forestry PhD student. Bell Equipment has also partnered with the Nelson Mandela University and provided funding for various educational purposes and research in the past. Good relationships with key stakeholders such as John Deere and Bell Equipment are important for any institute of higher learning to succeed.