Forestry Award Winners Meet The Prince of Wales
(l-r) Keira Tedd, David Johnes, HRH The Prince of Wales, Jacqueline Hamilton, Ross Hobbs
Four young forestry graduates from the United Kingdom and Canada – recipients of the inaugural Prince of Wales Forest Leadership Award – yesterday attended a meeting with His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales at his official London residence, Clarence House. Recognising the Award as offering valuable learning experience in their early careers, His Royal Highness spoke with the four recipients, personally congratulating them on winning the award.
Keira Tedd and David Johnes of the United Kingdom, and Ross Hobbs and Jacqueline Hamilton of Canada, received their awards in February and have been attending training sessions in the UK in advance of their summer internships. The award includes a $12,000 bursary and an international internship programme.
The Prince of Wales Forest Leadership Award is sponsored by TD Bank Group as part of the TD Forests program, and delivered in partnership by the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF), the Canadian Institute of Forestry-Institut forestier du Canada (CIF-IFC), and the Duchy of Cornwall. The award recognises students and recent graduates in Canada and the United Kingdom with a dedication to sustainable forestry and the skills and aptitude to become future forest leaders. The international internship program that accompanies the award will send British participants to Canada for summer work placements in iconic coastal British Columbia, working with Strategic Natural Resource Consultants and in Algonquin Provincial Park with the Algonquin Forestry Authority. Both Canadian participants will intern in the west of England with the forestry consultants Pryor and Rickett Silviculture, while also spending time learning about the sustainable management of the Duchy of Cornwall’s woodlands.
Geraint Richards, the Duchy of Cornwall’s Head Forester said:
“After many months in the planning I was thrilled to see the first Award recipients in the same room, meeting one another and, of course, meeting His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. I am sure that all four of these remarkable students will have a memorable summer on their respective placements and that the experiences they gain will be of invaluable benefit as they pursue their forestry careers.’
Russell Horsey, Deputy Director of the ICF commented:
“The UK Forestry sector is thriving, but to keep pace with demand for graduates it is imperative that it nurtures young professionals and provides opportunities for them to learn from international colleagues. The Institute of Chartered Foresters is delighted to be working with the Canadian Institute of Forestry and the Duchy of Cornwall on this special award, which will help to shape the winners’ future careers. The opportunity for them to share their passion and discuss their aspirations with HRH The Prince of Wales is a unique experience that these future forest leaders will remember for years to come.”
“This is a truly special experience for budding forest professionals to meet with The Prince of Wales, a stalwart supporter and advocate for sustainable forestry globally. I look forward to following the progression of these future forestry leaders who will continue to lead the charge and play an instrumental role in supporting sustainable forestry on an international scale,” said Dana Collins, Executive Director of the CIF-IFC.
“Forests are essential to a healthy environment, so we must make it a priority to develop forestry leaders of tomorrow,” said Karen Clarke-Whistler, TD’s Chief Environment Officer.
“These leaders will have a major role to play in shaping our future as our world becomes more urbanized and the pressure on our existing forest resources increases, especially in our urban and rural centres.”
Follow the award winner’s placement activities on Twitter, using the hastag #ForestLeaders.
