Global Virtual Field Trip for Young Foresters

We are pleased to be hosting this virtual study tour on behalf of the International Network of Professional Forestry Associations (INPFA) to showcase young forestry talent.

Join us on 19 May to hear from young professionals working in the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Canada on why they got into the sector, what their role involves and what they see for the future of forestry where they are. Thanks to the Institute of Foresters of Australia, Canadian Institute of Forestry / Institut forestier du Canada and New Zealand Institute of Forestry for their support in the development of this event.

You can find out more about the INPFA here.

Stay tuned for more information.

Time zones

United Kingdom

8am – British Summer Time

Australia

6pm – Australian Eastern Time

Canada

1am – Pacific Daylight Time (British Columbia)

New Zealand

8pm – New Zealand Standard Time

Speakers – more to be announced!

Josh Roberts MICFor – Innovation Manager, Forestry and Land Scotland

Josh is the Innovation Manager for Forestry and Land Scotland, the government body that manages publicly owned forests in Scotland. His job is to work with operational teams to identify requirements for change, then set up projects to test and develop solutions. This can cover any forestry related operation, but his current portfolio is focused on technology use in forest nurseries; remote sensing methods for forest inventory; integrated pest management; and IoT sensor networks in remote locations. Prior to his current role he was a policy advisor to the Scottish Government, advising on the forest industry as a driver of inclusive economic growth. Prior to that he provided support to the Forestry agency for England, especially in dealing with ministers and parliament. He is a Chartered Forester and has an MSc in Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management, where his thesis was in payments for ecosystem services.

Lorna Johnson – Assistant Forest Manager, Tilhill

Lorna is an Assistant Forest Manager for Tilhill, a leading forest management company in the UK. She is based in North Wales and has been since starting with the company in 2022. Prior to this she spent 19 months working in the agricultural sector and travelling around New Zealand, just after finishing her Masters in Forest Protection at Harper Adams University in Shropshire.  In 2018, she was the winner of the CONFOR essay. The award was presented at a Westminster reception in the Houses of Parliament, an inspiring event which encouraged her to pursue forestry as a career. Lorna is now working towards becoming a Chartered Forester and is continuously trying to expand her experience and knowledge of the sector.

Liz Wass RPF – Operations Technologist, BC Timber Sales, Skeena Region

Originally from Victoria, Liz attended the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George, where she majored in Forest Ecology and Management and minored in conservation biology. During the summers Liz was a tree planter and a silviculture surveyor, and after graduation in 2018, she pursued silviculture with BC Timber Sales in Prince George. Liz achieved her Registered Professional Forester designation in 2021, and moved to the Skeena region in 2022. Liz has been a member of the Canadian Institute of Forestry since 2015 and was awarded the Prince of Wales Award for Sustainable Forestry in 2021. This is an exciting and challenging time to be in forestry, and Liz looks forward to continuing her career as a silviculture forester.

Ryan Wilkie – Technologist, Lakehead University Faculty of Natural Resources Management

Ryan grew up in the prairies of Manitoba, Canada, working and playing in the crop fields and oak pastures where his connection to nature was founded. Prior to joining the Natural Resources Management faculty, Ryan worked as a drone pilot in silviculture and forester in training in British Columbia and Alberta, in western Canada. An interest in remote sensing developed during his undergrad where Ryan majored in conservation planning and management, and his thesis focused on automated detection of raptor nests in forest canopies using drones, followed by graduate work studying road reclamation in Ontario’s boreal forests. Now, he works at Lakehead University teaching the next cohorts of foresters and environmental techs, works on various research projects with the faculty, and truth & reconciliation efforts in collaboration with other partners. He is currently Chair of the CIF-IFC Northwestern Ontario Section.