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 and
growing
5%
growth in membership
– the highest growth in five years
327
new members joined
in 2023 (so far…)
35
applications for
chartered status
Geraint Richards MVO FICFor
appointed President
Andrew Sowerby FICFor
appointed Vice President
We welcomed 13 new Fellows of the Institute in 2023.
Dr Sallie Bailey FICFor
Mike Cresswell FICFor
Steve Drysdale FICFor
Tim Hall FICFor
Gareth Hare FICFor
Sonia Lorenzo Martín FICFor
Alex Murray FICFor
Duncan Park FICFor
Gordon Pfetscher FICFor
Simon Pryce FICFor
Dr Victoria Stokes FICFor
John Tucker FICFor
Joe Watts FICFor
Our events & CPD
50
events
in 2022
57
events
in 2023
2,500+
event delegates
in 2022
2,700+
event delegates
in 2023
We continued to support members’ Continuous Professional Development (CPD) through a variety of in-person and online learning opportunities.
#MembersHour
Our popular fortnightly #MembersHour series continued with sessions on agroforestry, natural capital, sustainable forest management, health and safety, biodiversity and more. Stay tuned – we have an exciting line up of future sessions planned for 2024.
National Conference
In April, we welcomed delegates in person at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham and online via our conference platform to Connecting Trees, Farmers & Foresters. At a time of transition for both sectors, this ground-breaking conference brought together farmers and foresters, exploring how we can integrate trees into the farmed landscape through collaborative working.
National Study Tour
We were in Norfolk in September for our National Study Tour: Diversity in Lowland Private Estate Management. It was great to hear from experts on site at Holkham Estate and at The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich.
National Study Tour 2023 at Holkham Estate
Early Career Professionals events
We are committed to providing learning and networking opportunities for those new to the sector. Our Early Career Professionals Study Tour took place in June, visiting four sites across Glasgow and South Lanarkshire to see first-hand the positive impact of trees and urban regeneration on local communities. The Early Career Professionals Conference took place online in November, themed Working with Nature.
National Tree Officers Conference
More than 250 tree officers, planners and arboriculturists met at Reading Town Hall in November for the sold-out National Tree Officers Conference.
Boost your CPD
180+
hours of online video content
Our online Members’ Area library continues to grow with new content added on a regular basis. Our members have access to more than 180 hours of video content, 17 years’ worth of Chartered Forester / TREES back issues, and can access their free subscription to Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research through the portal.
Our partnerships, policy & projects
Emerging Leader Programme
Our six-month Emerging Leader Programme, developed in partnership with Clore Social Leadership, concluded in July 2023. Funded by the Trees Call to Action Fund, Scottish Forestry and the Welsh Government, the programme saw 36 Emerging Leaders build their leadership potential, strengthen their networks and drive the social and organisational change that is needed, supporting the effective delivery of planting targets, climate change mitigation and the biodiversity crisis. Alongside their online learning and coaching, the Emerging Leaders attended two residentials and participated in a final Peer Innovation Challenge. This challenge culminated in three innovative ideas being chosen to help tackle some of the most pressing issues in the sector. You can hear these three ideas at our webinar on 5 December 2023.
Position Paper: Woods into Management
In August, we published Management of Existing UK Woodlands: An Opportunity for Green Prosperity with the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) that called on governments and agencies across the UK to bring about an urgent step change in the sustainable management of existing woodlands.
Three new graduate schemes accredited
This year our Professional & Educational Standards Committee approved the accreditation of Savills UK, Scottish Woodlands, and Tilhill graduate schemes. Graduates on these schemes will have two additional Professional Membership Entry (PME) qualifying points – graduates without an honours degree specifically in forestry or arboriculture may be able to present for PME two years earlier than before. Find out more.
New route to CEnv status
Developed to boost the environmental professional community, Associate members of the Institute can now pursue Chartered Environmentalist registration without first having to achieve Chartered Arboriculturist or Chartered Forester status.
Our awards
Professional Forester of the Year
Institute's Medal
Looking forward to 2024
Accredited training course on the UKFS 5th Edition
Hosted by the Institute for anyone working in the forestry and affiliated sectors, funded by the Trees Call the Action Fund.
International Study Tour
Stay tuned for more details!
