Fellowship of the Institute of Chartered Foresters is an honoured position, the attainment of which should be the ambition of all members of the Institute. It is an acknowledgement of an individual’s dedication, experience and achievements, awarded to members who show a significant personal and recognised contribution to the profession.
Once perceived as a reward bestowed on members toward the end of a long and distinguished career, Fellowship is equally attainable for members in the earlier stages of their professional journey – members who understand the benefits that professional recognition by their peers can bring to their career.
The Institute welcomes applications from members from all areas of our membership. Whether you work in forest management, harvesting and marketing, urban forestry, arboriculture, policy or research, or whether you work in the private sector, public sector, third sector or academia.
Your application will be assessed by a panel of senior members from the Professional & Educational Standards Committee (PESC), based on the information you provide. The assessors will make their decision based solely on the information within your application. For this reason, it is vital that you carefully consider this guidance and provide a comprehensive and accurate submission.
Since the start of 2023, the Institute has promoted 13 new Fellows, the most in one year for more than a decade. Could you be next?
Historically, the Institute welcomed self-nominated applications for Fellowship from individuals who met the following criteria:
- The individual will have held Professional membership of the Institute for a minimum of five years and have at least ten years’ professional experience in the sector
- The highest level of accomplishment during their career in post-qualification professional experience, managerial responsibilities, structured and planned professional development and/or a significant contribution to the profession
- The support of two existing Fellows of the Institute
However, the Institute has recently introduced a new, alternate route to Fellowship – the peer-nomination route. Here, the Fellowship application will be initiated by a Lead Nominator and supported by an Endorsing Nominator (both must be existing Fellows of the Institute), who are able to put forward a Professional Member of the Institute worthy, in their estimation, of Fellowship status.
Irrespective of the route, Fellowship remains a demonstration of your standing, your proven strategic abilities and that you are committed to inspiring and shaping the future of the profession. You are respected and recognised as a thought leader, influencer and expert.
Isn’t it about time you applied?
Applications will be considered no less than two weeks before a PESC meeting, which take place in January, May, and October. Please contact icf@charteredforesters.org for precise dates.
If you require any further information regarding routes to Fellowship, please contact us via icf@charteredforesters.org
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