Royal Forestry Society seeks next generation of foresters
Forestry Roots: Paid traineeships now open for application across historic estates, community forests and traditional coppice businesses
The Royal Forestry Society’s Forestry Roots traineeship is now open for applications for 2026/27. This year’s host organisations show how wide-ranging a career in forestry can be, with new opportunities spanning from historic estate woodlands to community urban projects and traditional coppicing businesses.
The host organisations for this year’s programme are: Chatsworth House (Derbyshire), Burghley House (Lincolnshire), Bedford Estates (Bedfordshire), Moreton Wood (Shropshire), Avon Needs Trees (Bristol), Leeds Coppice Workers (West Yorkshire) and The Coppice Co-op (Cumbria).
Forestry Roots gives paid, year-long placements for 18–30-year-olds, including help with relocation costs and an additional £2,000 training fund that can be accessed to help with training expenses. Placements start in late summer 2026.
Trainees will also receive one-to-one mentoring from the RFS to support them in their role and studies, and help them with securing employment at the end of their traineeship.
Alison Dinnie, RFS Careers Advisor says: “I’m blown away by the young people we get to meet and how much they grow during their time on the programme. As always, each trainee will receive personalised mentoring throughout the year, helping them get the most from their placement and prepare for the next steps in their career.”
“This year’s employers are the most varied we’ve had, with a high proportion of community-focused organisations offering exciting opportunities in urban forestry and traditional coppicing. It will be fascinating to see what this side of the sector offers our trainees and what they bring to it.”
Bolaji Lemboye, a 2024/25 trainee with Trees for Cities, found the community engagement part of her role particularly rewarding. “I’ve been lucky enough to be part of so many meaningful moments, whether leading planting days with volunteers or running workshops in schools,” Bolaji says. “Engaging with young people, especially in inner-city areas, has been a real highlight”
According to the House of Commons Library, the youth unemployment rate in the UK rose to 15.8% in the period December 2025 to February 2026, up from 14.6% the previous year and representing around 713,000 young people out of work. The Resolution Foundation has noted that UK youth unemployment now exceeds the EU average for the first time since records began in 2000.
The forestry sector is addressing these challenges by creating clearer pathways for developing young foresters. Forestry Roots is centred around providing opportunities for people who have faced barriers to employment, including those who are underrepresented in the forestry sector.
Charlotte Moss, a Forestry Roots trainee at Englefield Estate in 2024/25 commented: “I would just say apply. You don’t need a degree in forestry or loads of experience. All you need is passion. There’s space in the sector for so many different skills and interests and the Forestry Roots traineeship is a brilliant way to find your place in it.”
How to apply
For full details and to apply, visit rfs.org.uk/learning/forestry-roots
Applications close on 18 June.
Placements in the Forestry Roots 2026/27 programme are:
- Chatsworth House, Derbyshire: One of the country’s most beloved historic estates, Chatsworth House in Derbyshire is home to 3,800 acres of woodland set within the dramatic landscape of the Peak District. The trainee will work with a skilled team of foresters and arborists, gaining experience in forestry maintenance operations, chainsaw operations, tractor driving, processing firewood and more.
- Burghley House, Lincolnshire: Burghley owns around 1,000 acres of woodland, with extensive planting schemes underway, alongside long-term woodland regeneration projects. At the heart of the Estate is Burghley House, set within 1,500 acres of historic Capability Brown parkland, with hundreds of heritage parkland trees.
- Bedford Estates, Bedfordshire: Work as part of a small team providing an environment to be proud of for future generations to enjoy, learning about a broad range of forestry duties including tree felling, planting and maintenance.
- Moreton Wood, Shropshire: A beautiful 40 acre woodland managed with wildlife and woodland ecology in mind. This is an opportunity to work within a traditional woodland-based business, making and selling products directly from the coppice.
- Avon Needs Trees, Bristol: A registered charity creating new, permanent woodland throughout the Bristol-Avon catchment to fight the climate and ecological emergencies.
- Leeds Coppice Workers, West Yorkshire: A workers co-operative committed to restoring and managing neglected and underused woodlands in the Leeds area, promoting the use of locally sourced woodland products and reintegrating local people to their woodlands.
- The Coppice Co-op, Cumbria: Specialists in sustainable woodland management and heritage woodland crafts that benefit the members, the community and nature
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