Goodhart Bursary: Our UK Study Tour Experience

Clare O’Reilly

My story into this sector is perhaps unusual. After twelve years in humanitarian landmine clearance, I had watched people survive on their land, appreciating every safe inch of soil. Looking from afar back home, I watched biodiversity take a battering and people lose appreciation for nature as a resource for recreation and wellbeing. Home I went, first to volunteer, then to work as a Ranger and now Conservation Manager graduating in 2023 with MSc Countryside Management. I’ve always felt extremely grateful to do these jobs, and to get opportunities to allow me to continue learning.

In 2023 I visited a beautiful site in North Yorkshire called Goodhart’s Wood, named after the passionate local conservationist James Goodhart, who donated the site to be managed for nature. A haven of biodiversity, it was a fond reminder of how lucky I now am to work among the trees. So when, by pure coincidence I spotted the Royal Forestry Society’s Goodhart Bursary, it felt wonderfully fated when I was ultimately successful in receiving this support to attend their Annual UK Study Tour. When I arrived to meet my fellow bursary recipients, I was delighted to find they all felt as joyful and grateful as I did, thrilled with the opportunity to meet one another, let alone the experienced and brilliant woodland specialists we found ourselves surrounded by.

The next few days were fantastic. Embraced by our fellow RFS members, we were welcomed with kindness and generosity. Comfortable in asking questions, we could quiz the hard-working Grimsthorpe Estate and Welbeck Estate land managers on how they prioritise between business diversification and nature, or will use technology to aid their battle on deer management, and how they manage within statutory designation requirements and with moves into Countryside Stewardship Agreements. We learned about trials in tree planting for selection of veterans where traditional avenues of horse chestnuts are uniformly dying at Grimsthorpe, or how a National Trust team with a limited budget tries to save trees which have watched over Belton House for 500 years. We were privy to leading research on acute oak decline, and the next stages in assessing pathogenicity influences. And we all lauded the unbelievable efforts of community-based Boston Woods Trust to transform former agricultural land into a stunning natural resource, helping nature recover in the process.

I left feeling motivated and delighted. I’m excited to get more involved with the RFS within the context of my new job at Surrey Wildlife Trust, hopefully organising Early Career Foresters events. My bursary buddies and I now have our own mini network of encouragement as people shift into new careers and reach learning milestones. Most of all, I still feel overwhelmingly grateful to James Goodhart and the RFS. Having worked in some weird and wonderful places over the years, standing in those woodlands absorbing knowledge and full of ideas for the future of woodland management and nature recovery, made me feel very lucky indeed.

Holly Whitehouse

The RFS UK Study Tour landed in my lap at a time I didn’t realise I needed it the most. I applied for the Early Career Forestry fund the Goodhart Bursary which was fortunately granted and it enabled me to attend the whole tour.

The thought of spending several days surrounded by career professionals and forestry passionate people was nerve racking, daunting, and filled me with imposter syndrome. However, I was also excited. Excited to meet other early career individuals and chat about our experiences so far, four whole days of woodland walks and talks (and the hotel pool)!

On the evening I arrived, my nerves where eased when eagle-eyed RFS staff spotted me and invited me to their table. Their friendliness set the tone for the welcoming attitude I experienced from everyone for the rest of the week.

The following days where filled with a jam-packed itinerary, including a brilliantly diverse look at woodland management for amenity and commercial value, both private and community. Despite the differences in objective, each site had shared common challenges and the need to be adaptive and creative in generating revenue, this varied from using mature oak stands as organised rave backdrops, to green burial sites, and experimental dense stock planting of Douglas fir.

In Belton huge community efforts afforested arable land into what is now: over 100 acres of community woodland, primarily the consequence of one mans driving ambition. However, alongside accomplishments come lows, and the community felt first-hand the devastating effect of unmanaged pests with voles annihilating 80% of a young planation, and grey squirrels causing serious damage to a large amount of remaining trees.

There was brilliantly insightful talk by Dr Sandra Dengham at the Welbeck Estate on acute oak decline. I overheard someone describe as “fascinating yet horrifying”.

Each host held platforms for presentations, Q&As, and sometimes spicy debates with honesty and intellect. Traditionalist and progressives talked passionately over the future of a chestnut avenue at the Grimsthorpe Estate, which provided good insight into the difficult decisions some foresters face, especially when considering such a historical landmark, the realistic options for suitable replacement tree species with impending warmer climates, and an ever-increasing list of pests and disease.

As well as visiting woodlands, I found it equally as interesting learning the back grounds from fellow attendees, their journeys to forestry or interest in woodlands and trees. From woodland owners to runners of sawmills and firewood businesses chatting about the absent demand for venison or sharing knowledge or where to access free forestry and woodland courses over our breakfast buffet, all added to the experience.

The weeks events culminated in a delicious meal in a grand room, chatting, exchanging ideas, and reminiscing on the week’s events with fellow RFS members. The following day the last tour group persevered around a very soggy Belton Estate where issues with public traffic and soil compaction on veteran trees were proving difficult to navigate.

I left more confident, knowledgeable, and with new friends. I cannot thank the RFS enough for the huge effort and amount of work in putting together the week. So thankyou and see you for the study tour next year.