Update: Forestry Devolution
The Scottish Parliament unanimously agreed to the general principles of the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Bill at the end of the ‘Stage 1’ debate, on Tuesday 7 of November. The Scottish Government and the Forestry Commission in Scotland are now working jointly under a Forestry Devolution Programme to manage all activity required in […]
Forestry Commission England’s Tree Health team
Forestry Commission England is a sponsor of the 2017 National Tree Officers Conference (NTOC). Members of the Forestry Commission England’s (FCE) tree health team will once again be in attendance at the National Tree Officer’s Conference. Following the inaugural event last year, the team is very much looking forward to seeing what the conference has in store, […]
The Institute welcomes a ‘Growing Forestry Industry’ in Scotland’s Programme for Government
The First Minister (FM), Nicola Sturgeon, highlights forestry in a statement setting out Scotland’s 2017-18 Programme for Government. Sturgeon states Scotland’s forests and woodlands provide around £1 billion in GVA annually to the economy, supports approximately 25,000 jobs and helps to meet climate change targets. The FM emphasises that to meet the current annual target […]
International meeting of Professional Forestry Bodies
Shireen Chambers FICFor, ICF Executive Director, reports on a meeting she attended in Australia of professional forestry associations. Cairns, Australia August 2017. Last month took me to Queensland, Australia for a meeting of professional forestry associations. Cairns in August (winter in Australia) was a lot more like summer than the real one in Edinburgh and […]
Call for Views: Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Bill
The Scottish Parliament is currently considering the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Bill. Arguably, this is the most significant piece of forestry legislation since the Forestry Commission was created in 1919. ICF members with any concerns about its impact have until 16 August to submit their views to the Scottish Parliament – to do this […]
Are all urban forests equally beneficial?
What is an ‘urban forest’? ‘Urban forest’ is a term that is being increasingly used by those engaged in thinking about (and even delivering) resilient cities. But what does it actually mean? There are various published definitions but for our purposes here we adopt a definition that we and our colleagues proposed last year: ‘The […]
Andrew Heald MICFor visits Ukraine to learn more about the Hardwood Forests of Eastern Europe
Andrew Heald MICFor visited Ukraine at the end of January 2017. For several years, I have been working for WWF (World Wildlife Fund) on their New Generation Plantation Project, focussing on the better management of plantations, particularly in South America and South East Asia. Following on from this international experience, I was offered a chance […]
A Walk in the Woods – Mirehouse Estate, Keswick Cumbria
North of England – Regional Group Meeting. The North of England Region is trialling a new approach to regional meetings by hosting local and low key events during the weekend, and hopefully more often. The first meeting was held on Saturday 4th March at Mirehouse Estate near Keswick, with kind support of the current and […]
2016: A Year in Forestry and Arboriculture
Throughout 2016 the ICF blog has showcased member opinions on the maelstrom of political and other changes and what they have meant for forestry and arboriculture. As the year draws to a close, ICF Executive Director Shireen Chambers FICFor looks back on the most important events and their impact on the sector. The winter of […]
The Prince of Wales Forest Leadership Award 2017 Opens for Applications
A prestigious international forestry exchange programme, endorsed by HRH The Prince of Wales, has opened for applications. The Prince of Wales Forest Leadership Award offers a CAD$12,000 bursary and Canadian work placement opportunity to two UK recipients. Award winners, chosen from student and graduate applicants in the partner countries, gain valuable professional experience through an […]