The Institute of Chartered Foresters is delighted to announce the four shortlisted candidates for the 2024 Professional Forester of the Year, the prestigious award that recognises outstanding service to the profession and the sector.
This award recognises the contributions made by Chartered Arboriculturists or Chartered Foresters to the betterment of forestry on a community, regional, national or international level. Professional Forester of the Year is awarded for a specific project, or range of activities, undertaken by a Chartered member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters within the last three years.
The shortlist for the Professional Forester of the Year is:
- Gordon Brown MICFor, TreeStory
- Iwan Lloyd-Williams MICFor, DSHwood
- Kenton Rogers MICFor, Treeconomics
- Dr Eleanor Tew MICFor, Forestry England
Louise Simpson, Executive Director of the Institute, commented:
“Congratulations to all four of the shortlisted candidates for this year’s award. We received many nominations for Professional Forester of the Year 2024 from across the sector, and our judging panel certainly had their work cut out for them in finalising this shortlist! Professional arboriculturists and foresters face increasing scrutiny in the performance of their roles, and it is important that we highlight, and celebrate, their ongoing achievements.”
The winner of Professional Forester of the Year 2024 will be announced at the Confor Dinner & Awards in Edinburgh on 12 March 2024.
Shortlist
Gordon Brown MICFor
CEO and Co-Founder, TreeStory
Gordon’s nomination recognises his dedication to the sustainable management of trees, woodlands and forests in Scotland. His experience spans the public, charity and private sectors, working tirelessly to build sustainable forestry practices, expanding and protecting woodlands that enhance the landscape, its resources and ecosystems.
Since co-founding TreeStory in 2018, the business was the first woodland and habitat consultancy in the UK to be awarded B Corp accreditation. Gordon developed the TreeStory Woodland Charter to ensure all their projects put nature first through detailed, integrated management plans, based on his belief that producing high quality, local timber, as well as natural capital, can be done sustainably.
Gordon is a passionate advocate for professionalism and encourages all his staff to pursue chartered status. He has also supported the Institute as a Professional Membership Entry (PME) assessor despite the demands of a growing business.
Iwan Lloyd-Williams MICFor
Director, DSHwood
A recent participant in the Institute’s inaugural Emerging Leader development programme, Iwan has been shortlisted for his sustained efforts and contributions to the sector that extend beyond the limits of his day job.
Despite his senior role at DSHwood, Iwan volunteers his time as Chair of Confor’s Wales Committee, is Assistant Director of Forestry at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show, is a Natural Resources Wales Member of the Regional Advisory Committee and is a Board member for the Forest Industry Safety Accord. His voluntary work has helped secure tens of millions of pounds for woodland creation in Wales through lobbying and advocacy and has supported the improvement of the harvesting and marketing of public sector forests in Wales.
Outside of forestry, Iwan is a passionate advocate for mental health and is a Trustee for the DPJ Foundation that supports people in rural Wales experiencing mental health crises. Iwan’s nomination highlights his leadership, particularly in Wales, thanks to his knowledge of forestry and the people who influence it.
Kenton Rogers MICFor
Director and Co-Owner, Treeconomics
Kenton’s nomination recognises his continued efforts to advance forestry science on community, regional and national scales. He has made an outstanding and unique contribution to the sustainable management of trees, woodlands and forests throughout the UK.
In 2011, Kenton initiated and completed the first i-Tree project in the UK, starting a chain of events that would lead to i-Tree becoming a nationally recognised tool for strategic planning of the urban forest. His mission has always been clear – to highlight the benefits of trees so that they can be valued, rather than being seen as a risk to be managed. He has worked with different organisations in all areas of the forestry sector, including central and local government, community and voluntary organisations, and NGOs. He has presented at conferences throughout the UK and across mainland Europe, Scandinavia, and North and South America.
Over the last twelve months, Kenton has developed and run a series of workshops, entitled ‘Finding Your Way Through the Urban Forest’. These have been delivered free of charge to local authorities to allow tree officers to discover their own pathway and begin the process of strategic urban forest management.
Dr Eleanor Tew MICFor
Head of Forest Planning, Forestry England
Eleanor’s nomination focused on her conceptualisation and leadership in of the Horizon Scan of Forestry, developed and published in conjunction with the University of Cambridge in 2023. This ground-breaking research project identified 15 emerging opportunities and challenges that are likely to be highly significant for UK forests and forestry sector over the next 50 years.
Gaining traction and influence on policy decisions is vital to create a more stable context in which forest owners and managers can work, with academically rigorous evidence vital in underpinning this shift of approach to influence policy both today and in future iterations. The level of excellence achieved by this project was conceived and implemented by Eleanor, in turn stimulating interest and involvement from many.
Eleanor’s insight, tenacity and professionalism in progressing the Horizon Scan supports policy thinking at a UK level, in addition to stimulating science and forest management thinking down to the grass roots. As such, it is one of the most significant pieces of insight to advance the science and management of UK forests in many years.
