What we do

Awarding Chartered Status to Professionals in Forestry and Arboriculture

The Institute of Chartered Foresters is the Royal Chartered body for foresters and arboriculturists in the UK. It is the only UK body to offer the Chartered Forester and Chartered Arboriculturist titles.

The Institute regulates standards of entry to the profession; provides support to members; guidance to professionals in other sectors; information to the general public; and educational advice and training to both students and tree professionals seeking to develop their careers in the forestry and arboricultural sector.

The Institute works to foster a greater public awareness and understanding of forestry in order to serve a variety of commercial, recreational, environmental and scientific interests.

ICF Awards

ICF distributes, endorses and sponsors a series of awards throughout the year, to promote education and research and recognise exceptional contributions to both the Institute and the sector.

In this section

“Working towards becoming a Chartered Forester has enabled me to grow my forestry skills with confidence within a nurturing and supportive environment.”
Robert Davies

Latest news

07/02/2025

Confor has announced the shortlisted candidates for the Confor Dinner and Awards 2025. These awards champion the efforts of inspirational individuals and organisations going above and beyond. Nominees...

06/02/2025

The Royal Forestry Society (RFS) has opened applications for its flagship Excellence in Forestry (EIF) Awards, offering £3,750 in prizes across five categories, with the Duchy of Cornwall joining as ...

05/02/2025

Steve Reed OBE, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has published an interim statement on the strategic findings from the rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EI...

04/02/2025

Forestry and timber businesses across the UK are being asked to take part in an annual survey programme to collect data about the UK timber industry.   The surveys are run by Forest Research, with t...

31/01/2025

The UK Government has launched the much-anticipated Land Use Consultation, kickstarting a 12-week period that will help to shape our natural and built environments in England for decades to come. This...

28/01/2025

Scotland’s forestry workforce must grow by 72% between 2022 and 2027 to meet the country’s ambitious tree-planting targets. This skills gap presents an urgent challenge to ensure the sector is equ...

14/01/2025

Future Woodlands Scotland has been announced as sponsors of a new Urban Forestry Award at the Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards 2025. The new award is all about celebrating the projects that are turnin...

10/01/2025

FISA is seeking to recruit new directors for their Board of Directors, responsible for the general management of FISA’s business. To find out more about the role of a FISA director, and the skills r...

09/01/2025

The Institute is delighted that Chartered Forester Gareth Hopkins MICFor has been awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the Forestry Sector in the New Year Honour...

16/12/2024

The recent announcement of the 2025/2026 Scottish Budget, including spending on forestry, has been welcomed but with some concern. The overall position is one of some improvement with increased fundin...

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