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Institute welcomes three new Fellows

We are pleased to announce that the Professional and Educational Standards Committee has promoted three new members to Fellows of the Institute of Chartered Foresters. Gareth Hare FICFor Tree and Landscape Protection Officer, Cannock Chase District Council Gareth’s first experiences of forestry and arboriculture came from growing up on Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire. He attended […]

Trailblazing apprenticeship programme for the forestry sector re-opens

Applications for the next cohort of the innovative Professional Forester Apprenticeship programme reopened on 2 December as part of National Tree Week. The programme, a partnership from the Forestry Commission, the University of Cumbria and the Institute of Chartered Foresters, offers a three-year, paid development opportunity for individuals from all backgrounds looking to kickstart their […]

Policy Roundup – November 2023

Our monthly policy and research blog updates you on the latest work at the Institute and how you can get involved. Institute news Woodland Creation Summit In June 2023, a delivery action plan was announced aimed at ramping up tree planting levels. This included a £1 million investment by Scottish Forestry to provide comprehensive training for […]

Institute highlights of 2023

We’re coming to the end of another busy year and the Institute of Chartered Foresters has been as productive as ever in 2023. Take a look at some of our highlights from the past year. Our membership 2,200+ members andgrowing 5% growth in membership– the highest growth in five years 327 new members joinedin 2023 […]

New Defra Secretary appointed

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has appointed former health secretary Steve Barclay as the new Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). This comes after former Defra Secretary, Thérèse Coffey, who was appointed in October 2022 stood down as part of a government cabinet reshuffle. A qualified solicitor, Steve […]

New study led by Chartered Forester predicts catastrophic forest ecosystem collapse

An article published in the Institute’s Scientific journal, Forestry, has hit the headlines this week after the results from a recent horizon scanning exercise were published warning of the multiple emerging threats to woodlands, including tree disease and extreme weather, in the next 50 years. Funded by Forestry England, the study was led by Chartered […]

Summit to focus minds on woodland creation process

Industry leaders from the forestry and land management sectors will meet in Perthshire next month to agree additional actions to boost the creation of new woodlands in Scotland.   The Woodland Creation Summit will be chaired by Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon and held on Tuesday 12 December at the Battleby Conference Centre.   During the day […]

Policy Roundup – October 2023

Our monthly policy and research blog updates you on the latest work at the Institute and how you can get involved. Institute news On 28 September, the Institute’s Executive Director Louise Simpson attended the Trees and Trains: Growing Green Corridors conference hosted by Network Rail and the Forestry Commission. Louise joined delegates from across government […]

UK Forestry Standard review – publication of the fifth edition

The fifth edition of the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) was published on 3 October, following an extensive review process. The aim of the review was to ensure the UKFS remains upto date, balanced in terms of the social, economic and environmental principles of sustainable forest management, and applicable across the UK. It was overseen by […]