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Five foresters go forward with Forestry Roots

Five young foresters have begun year-long paid posts in some of the UK’s best-known woodlands and at a leading forestry nursery thanks to the Royal Forestry Society’s Forestry Roots Scheme with ALA Charitable Trust.

By Wendy Necar · December 8, 2020

Five young foresters have begun year-long paid posts in some of the UK’s best-known woodlands and at a leading forestry nursery thanks to an expanded intake under the Royal Forestry Society’s Forestry Roots Scheme with ALA Charitable Trust.

As well as gaining hands-on experience each will benefit from a package of tailored training leading to additional recognised certificates in addition to their college or university qualifications.

Royal Forestry Society (RFS) Forestry Roots Officer Adam Pickles said: “Woodland is set to expand across the UK as part of the country’s response to climate change and it is vital we have a workforce with the skills to maintain existing and new woodland.

“Our thanks to The ALA Green Charitable Trust and the employers for making possible these early career opportunities and for the support which has enabled us to offer an additional fifth place this year. Congratulations to all our Forestry Roots recipients who faced stiff competition to gain their posts. We look forward to seeing their progress throughout the year.”

This year’s Forestry Roots foresters are:

  • Joseph Haines who has taken up a post as Assistant Forester, Burghley Estate, Lincolnshire. He has completed a BTEC Level 2 in Countryside and the Environment and a Forestry and Arboriculture Diploma Level 3 with Moulton College, Northampton.Hehas already gained his woodchipper and tractor driving certificates and improved his tree ID skills.
  • Ewan Hodgkison: Forest Ranger at Hill Holt Wood, Lincolnshire. He has a Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma in Forestry from Newton Rigg College. Ewan has been with working the forestry team at Hill Holt contributing towards PAWS restoration. He has also learnt how to operate and maintain the portable sawmill and to build log cabins from timber grown and felled on site.
  • Ben Quinney:  Assistant Forestry Worker, Nicholsons Nursery, Oxfordshire. He holds a Level 3 diploma in Countryside Management and Forestry from Coleg Meirion -Dwyfor. He has been carrying out planting preparation, felling of small trees, fence construction and maintenance. He has successfully passed his All-Terrain Vehicle certificate and is looking forward to gaining more experience, certificates, and qualifications with Forestry Roots.
  • Scott Steven: Park and Woodland Assistant, Hatfield House, Hertfordshire. Scott has a Level 5 Certificate in Forestry, Inverness College. Scott has been installing tree guards in the deer park, assisting on the ground with the dismantling of large trees, as well as carrying out formative pruning and canopy lifting of Lime avenues. He will soon be sitting his assessment for his chainsaw crosscut and maintenance as well as his small felling certificate.
  • Hannah Whyatt: Graduate Forester, Norbury Park , Staffordshire. She holds an MSc in Environmental Forestry from Bangor University. Hannah’s work so far has included updating maps of the estate using GIS, collected data on soil moisture and tree heights, checking and fitting dendrometers, compiling historic squirrel data, marking and thinning trees, measuring felled timber and beat up counts.

Find out more about our Forestry Roots project here.