From the Forest Floor to Real-World Impact
In 2025, the WIDE Trust proudly supported the Youth Micro Innovation Challenge, a groundbreaking initiative empowering young forestry professionals to transform real-world challenges into practical solutions. The Challenge showcased the ingenuity of students, recent graduates, and early-career forestry workers, providing them with resources, guidance, and funding to bring their ideas to life.
Untapped Ingenuity in Forestry
Frontline forestry workers are experts in navigating complex environments and daily operational challenges. Yet historically, their ideas have lacked a clear pathway to become practical solutions. The Youth Micro Innovation Challenge flipped this dynamic, using a structured, evidence-based process called Micro Innovation to capture, test, and develop innovative ideas from the ground up.
With budgets of up to $10,000 and a fast-track approach, participants turned concepts into proof-of-concept prototypes within 12-20 weeks, delivering immediate operational benefits in safety, efficiency, and wellbeing. Since its inception, the Micro Innovation ecosystem has supported over 100 ideas, allocating more than $160,000 to frontline prototypes, proving that small-scale innovation can yield significant impact.
Why Youth Innovation Matters
The forestry sector’s next generation brings fresh perspectives shaped by technology, sustainability awareness, and connected thinking. By providing a platform for young innovators to test and refine their ideas, the Challenge not only drives operational improvements but also strengthens workforce confidence, wellbeing, and retention.
The 2025 Challenge aligned with the goals of both the Forest Growers Levy Trust and WIDE Trust: creating safer, more efficient, and well-supported workplaces while demonstrating the tangible benefits of youth-led innovation.
The Challenge in Action
Thirteen entries were submitted, exceeding the target of ten. Each submission underwent rigorous evaluation for impact, feasibility, practicality, and alignment with industry priorities. Two standout projects emerged as winners:
Forestry Arm Chaps - Tessa McCarthy
Tessa’s simple question, “If we have chaps to protect our legs, why not our arms?”, sparked a practical solution to a common forestry problem.
Working in high-hazard pruning environments, she observed that bare arms were prone to scratches and thorns, while layered hoodies caused overheating and fatigue. Her solution, Forestry Arm Chaps, provides:
Protection against blackberry, gorse, and branch debris
Full mobility at the wrist and elbow
Lightweight construction using canvas and flexible neoprene
Targeted reinforcement only where needed
Field trials converted skeptics into fans. Pruning crews quickly recognised the value of comfort, confidence, and freedom to work efficiently without hesitation.
Metsulf Drill Gun - James Dyne
James, a fourth-year forestry student, tackled the challenge of safe and efficient chemical thinning. Traditional drill-and-fill or capsule systems often led to inconsistent dosing, leaks, and operator exposure.
His Metsulf Drill Gun integrates drilling and chemical delivery into one controlled, single-handed action, providing:
Safer, sealed chemical handling
Accurate, repeatable dosing
Reduced spillage and exposure
Lightweight, balanced, and field-serviceable design
Use of familiar, off-the-shelf equipment
Through testing and iterative prototyping, James gathered real-world feedback that confirmed what worked and identified areas for improvement, delivering practical, evidence-driven innovation with strong potential for future adoption.
Lessons and Looking Ahead
The Youth Micro Innovation Challenge demonstrates the power of investing in young talent. By reducing administrative barriers, providing mentorship, and giving innovators the resources they need, the Challenge accelerates solutions that improve forestry operations today, while nurturing the next generation of forestry leaders.
The WIDE Trust is proud to support initiatives like this, proving that innovation isn’t just about big projects, it’s about empowering people, solving real problems, and making tangible improvements on the ground.