The Future of the GAOF

What of the future? As foresters around the world begin to use the Internet for communication they will need a starting point. The usual method is to use the 'search engines' which are a resource the GAOF does not aim to replace. However using these 'search engines' can be time consuming especially to anyone new to the Internet.

The GAOF has the potential to become an international network for foresters and anyone interested in finding information about forestry. Within the UK, the government is committed to linking all schools to the Internet. As a result the GAOF has taken the initial steps of developing links to schools around the world and is developing the web site for the UK Forest Education Initiative. It also hosts the web site for the Royal Scottish Forestry Society.

To date the development of the GAOF has been run as a trial with the services wholly funded by Nick Ananin (based in Scotland, UK). However funding is now required to permit the service to continue and expand. Various ways of funding the service were considered through discussion with members. These included:

• Membership subscription which would require secure on-line payment and would be counter to the whole ethos of a "helpful service"
• Government funding which would be useful for key projects
• Advertising. To date modest income has been derived from the Forestry Jobs page
• Sponsorship which is considered to be the main way forward to developing this service for the industry. Sponsors will be encouraged to work cooperatively with the GAOF.