Climate, community, forestry and farming at the heart of Scotland’s Finest Woods 2024
Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards are back for 2024 after a wonderful celebration in 2023. And this year four key areas form the focus of the prestigious Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards – climate, community, forestry and farming. The environment is central to everything the awards are about and the competition for the Climate Change Champion Trophy […]
Institute Fellow awarded MBE in New Year Honours
The Institute is delighted that Tom Jenkins FICFor has been awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the Forestry Sector in the New Year Honours 2024 list. Currently the Head of Forest Research in Wales, Tom’s long and distinguished career has led to a wealth of tree knowledge […]
Institute responds to farming scheme updates
The Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) welcomes the recent upgrade to farming schemes announced by the Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP on Thursday 4 January 2024. As the biggest update to the UK’s farming schemes since leaving the European Union, we’re pleased to see trees on farms moving up the agenda based on their wider benefits to business […]
Call for Institute Representatives
Do you want to actively help shape your profession? The Institute has two opportunities arising for member nominations to represent us on the following groups: FISA Steering Group – Please note for this role the nominee must be a member of FISA, or join, thus agreeing to support the Accord and act as a FISA […]
Catching up with Jonathan Callis MICFor – Professional Forester of the Year 2023
The work of those who manage trees, woodlands and forests has never been more important. With nominations currently open for Professional Forester of the Year 2024, we recently caught up with Jonathan Callis MICFor, winner of the inaugural Professional Forester of the Year award, to find out what winning the award meant to him and his […]
Institute responds to new timber in construction roadmap
A new document outlining the opportunities and barriers to the use of timber in construction in England was published by the Department for Environment Food & Rual Affairs on 11 December, centred around seven priority themes. The Institute fully supports the ambitious timber in construction roadmap which highlights a collaborative forestry and affiliate sector vision to boost […]
Institute responds to National Wood Strategy for England
On 7 December 2023, the National Wood Strategy for England was launched at Confor’s UK Policy Conference in London, where lead author Tom Barnes from Vastern Timber discussed the strategy’s key points and next steps, and Naomi Matthiessen provided a response on behalf of Defra. Attending the conference on behalf of the Institute was our […]
Trailblazing apprenticeship programme for the forestry sector re-opens
Applications for the next cohort of the innovative Professional Forester Apprenticeship programme reopened on 2 December as part of National Tree Week. The programme, a partnership from the Forestry Commission, the University of Cumbria and the Institute of Chartered Foresters, offers a three-year, paid development opportunity for individuals from all backgrounds looking to kickstart their […]
New study led by Chartered Forester predicts catastrophic forest ecosystem collapse
An article published in the Institute’s Scientific journal, Forestry, has hit the headlines this week after the results from a recent horizon scanning exercise were published warning of the multiple emerging threats to woodlands, including tree disease and extreme weather, in the next 50 years. Funded by Forestry England, the study was led by Chartered […]
Summit to focus minds on woodland creation process
Industry leaders from the forestry and land management sectors will meet in Perthshire next month to agree additional actions to boost the creation of new woodlands in Scotland. The Woodland Creation Summit will be chaired by Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon and held on Tuesday 12 December at the Battleby Conference Centre. During the day […]