Assessing the risks and putting health and safety first
We regret to say that we have been notified of another fatality in our sector. After felling a tree in Kent earlier this month, a worker was crushed and killed, with the circumstances being investigated further. Please see this notice from HSE regarding the recent incident. The number of fatalities in the last year is […]
Merry Christmas from the Institute President
Over the last two difficult years, so many people have been taking refuge through trees and woodlands. We are the people who manage those woodlands but there simply aren’t enough of us. We are busier than ever, and it’s easy to forget, but we’ve got to share the message that working with trees is a […]
Institute Executive Director interviewed for ITV News
With the UK Government committing to plant at least 30,000 hectares of new woodland each year to combat the climate emergency, the Institute’s Executive Director, Shireen Chambers MBE FICFor, was recently interviewed by ITV News as part of a story investigating these targets. Shireen said: “It’s going to be difficult to achieve. Agricultural land availability is […]
Policy Roundup – October 2021
Our monthly policy and research blog updates you on the latest work at the Institute and how you can get involved. Institute News Our Position Paper on the Forestry Skills Shortage In early October we published a position paper on the skills crisis in forestry which needs urgent action. We sent it to ministers across […]
Policy Roundup – September 2021
Our monthly policy and research blog updates you on the latest work at the Institute and how you can get involved. Institute News Consultation Responses It has been a busy month for policy at the Institute. We published responses to the UKFS review key stakeholder consultation, Scottish Government’s consultation on Delivering Economic Transformation and DAERA’s […]
Policy Roundup – August 2021
Our monthly policy and research blog updates you on the latest work at the Institute and how you can get involved. Institute News EWCO In late July, we held an event hosted by the Forestry Commission on the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO). There was excellent engagement from members who asked some probing questions. Forestry […]
The Big Black Country i-Tree Project
The Black Country, an area within the West Midlands, has decided to focus on its green infrastructure, by taking a detailed look at the structure and composition of its urban forest. The study will provide valuable information about the trees that grow there: which species are resident, how sustainable the trees are, and what they […]
Back out in the woods!
The South West England Regional Group were the first region to have an in person, face-to-face event since the outbreak of COVID-19, and it was great to be able to get Back Out in the Woods. Taking place on the Tavistock Woodlands Estate within the Tamar Valley AONB, over 30 members and non-members gathered to […]
Policy Roundup – July 2021
Our monthly policy and research blog updates you on the latest work at the Institute and how you can get involved. Institute News This month saw the first in-person meeting of the Institute team in Edinburgh which included a visit to a Forestry and Land Scotland harvesting site and some swinging through the trees at […]
ICF Vice President gives keynote speech at Treescapes 2021
Treescapes 2021 this week has been a fantastic showcase of research, packed with presentations and workshop discussions from a huge range of talented tree professionals. Hosted by the Royal Forestry Society and led by early career researchers, it has undoubtedly succeeded in its aim to facilitate conversations between practitioners and academics. Institute Vice President, Geraint […]