Institute Executive Director joins new Green Job Delivery Group
The first meeting of the UK Government’s new group for creating green job opportunities took place on 11 May and was attended by leaders from business, industry, trade unions and academia, including the Institute’s Executive Director, Shireen Chambers MBE FICFor. With policies set out in the Energy Security Strategy and Net Zero Strategy, it is hoped that […]
New UKWAS standard for urban trees in development
A standard for the certification of ‘Trees outside Forests, particularly those in an urban environment, is being developed by PEFC UK with the support of a small working group. It will act as an appendix to the already endorsed national sustainable forest management scheme, the UK Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS). The UKWAS has been adapted, […]
New government strategy for education increases support for green careers
Announced by the Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi on 21 April, the Department for Education has launched a new Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy that includes plans to increase learning on green skills and careers for young people, with the introduction of a new Natural History GCSE. With the introduction of at least one sustainability lead […]
Policy Roundup – March 2022
Our monthly policy and research blog updates you on the latest work at the Institute and how you can get involved. Institute News Several Institute staff attended the Confor dinner and awards this month which was a lovely opportunity to meet members in person. There have also been two reports published this month that the […]
Emergency tree work must be handled by experienced professionals
Extreme weather conditions have caused problems across the country recently, with many communities living with the aftereffects of Storm Dudley, Storm Eunice and Storm Franklin. Fallen trees and branches are again causing a lot of disruption. As a member of the HSE’s Arboriculture and Forestry Advisory Group (AFAG), we want to stress again to members […]
Assessing the risks and putting health and safety first
We regret to say that we have been notified of another fatality in our sector. After felling a tree in Kent earlier this month, a worker was crushed and killed, with the circumstances being investigated further. Please see this notice from HSE regarding the recent incident. The number of fatalities in the last year is […]
Policy Roundup – November 2021
Our monthly policy and research blog updates you on the latest work at the Institute and how you can get involved. Institute News Our Position Paper on the Forestry Skills Shortage Last month we launched a campaign on the forestry skills crisis that was covered in October’s Policy Roundup. We want to keep the momentum […]
New Environment Act passed into law
According to Defra, the UK’s new environmental legislation leads the way on a global level, aiming to improve air and water quality, tackle waste, increase recycling, halt the decline of species, and improve our natural environment. Specifically, the Environment Act will deliver: Long-term targets to improve air quality, biodiversity, water, and waste reduction and resource […]
Successful Green Recovery Challenge Fund projects announced
With £80 million available for nature conservation, recovery and nature-based solutions, the Green Recovery Challenge Fund will see the establishment of almost one million trees in England, supporting 2,500 jobs. Following on from the first round in December 2020, a further 90 projects have been successful in the second round, with grants ranging from £68,100 […]
New software helps cities plant trees to improve air quality
Despite common misconceptions, street trees do not remove pollution from the atmosphere, but instead redistribute pollution by changing air currents within streets and beside open roads. The positioning and amount of planting on a certain street, but also the layout and orientation of that street, are critical to its impacts on local air quality. Researchers […]
