A mark of practical experience and professional credibility, Technical membership of the Institute of Chartered Foresters boosts respect and recognition from senior colleagues, peers, clients, stakeholders and members of the public. Our Technical members are:
- Recognised for having high professional standards
- Technically competent
- Bound by our Code of Conduct
- Able to use the TechICFor post-nominal
Academic qualifications are not required to become a Technical member (though can count if you have them). The assessment process values practical experience, technical competence and a demonstrable commitment to professional development and high standards.
Our Technical Members come from a range of arboriculture and forestry backgrounds, with a wide range of skill sets across a diverse number of roles. Current Technical Members include Planning Foresters, Arboricultural Consultants, Forestry Operations Specialists, Team Leaders, Agroforestry Woodland Officers, Graduate Foresters, and Senior Foresters.
Members voted in 2021 to introduce Technical membership to support and recognise an under-represented cohort of skilled arboriculturists and foresters.
Want to know more? Hear from Christopher Rees TechICFor, Forest Operations Team Leader at Natural Resources Wales, about his journey to Technical membership.
The route to Technical membership
Successful completion of the Level 4 Forestry Works Manager (FWM) qualification provides a recognised route towards Technical membership of the Institute of Chartered Foresters. Find out more about the routes to FWM qualification here.
Technical Membership Entry (TME)
Technical Membership Entry (TME) offers two pathways to obtaining Technical membership and gaining the TechICFor postnominal. If you would like to submit for TME, please select the Standard TME Pathway unless you hold a Forestry Works Manager Level 4 Qualification.
Standard TME Pathway – Register by 1 February
After registering for TME by 1 February, the Standard TME Pathway is comprised of two parts:
Part 1 – Online submission by 1 March
- Career Profile – an in-depth curriculum vitae that details your professional development journey
- Work Record – a verified account of your work experience, matched to specific Competency Areas, covering at least your most recent two years
- E-Learning Module – an online course prompting you to reflect on professionalism within arboriculture and forestry as it relates to your role
- Technical Evidence: Provide a title and a few sentences or bullet points to give an overview of your chosen topic. The information you provide can be quite broad to allow you to refine the content prior to your online presentation and discussion with assessors.
Part 2 – Technical Evidence online presentation and discussion
An online presentation to TME assessors of a real work scenario where you demonstrate your technical skills and expertise that includes references to health and safety legislation, Forest Industry Safety Accord guidance and the Institute’s Code of Conduct. The online discussion also provides an opportunity for assessors to ask questions about your written submission.
The online presentation and discussion will take place within six weeks of the submission deadline.
Forestry Works Manager Level 4 Qualification Pathway – Registration and submission can be done at any point throughout the year
There is one part to this pathway – the online submission.
After registering and paying the TME fees, applicants are required to complete an online submission consisting of the below components:
- Career Profile – an in-depth curriculum vitae that details your professional development journey
- Work Record – a verified account of your work experience, matched to specific Competency Areas, covering at least your most recent two years
- E-Learning Module – an online course prompting you to reflect on professionalism within arboriculture and forestry as it relates to your role
- Forestry Works Manager (FWM) Certificate – you must provide a copy of your certificate at the point of applying for TME by emailing icf@charteredforesters.org.
If you have any questions regarding the requirements of the pathways or steps, please contact us.
Future progression
Technical Members may progress to Professional membership via Professional Membership Entry (PME) after a five-year period.
Eligibility for TME is assessed using a points-based system, where applicants must have obtained five qualifying points before they can present. Points are awarded through a combination of relevant technical work experience and structured professional development (one point per year).
- Associate members, and Student members who have completed a Forestry Works Manager Level 4 Qualification via the apprenticeship or the experienced worker route
- All applicants must have a minimum of two years relevant technical work experience
- Applicants with no academic experience are eligible to apply if they can demonstrate a significant body of relevant practical experience through evidence of their technical competency over a five-year period (one point per year)
- Academic qualifications will be awarded with a maximum of three qualifying points, but applicants must still have an additional two years of relevant technical experience – please contact us if you are unsure about the standard accreditation of academic qualifications.
Fees
Standard TME Pathway
The 2026 fee for TME is £295 and should be paid with the submission of the TME1 Registration Form by 1 February. There is one TME submission deadline every year on 1 March.
Forest Works Manager (FWM) Level 4 Qualification Pathway
Please contact us for further details regarding registration.
TME terms and conditions
Failure to submit your full TME application within the timeframe after registering for TME and paying the assessment fees results in the applicant losing the assessment fee. If your employer has paid your registration fees directly to the Institute and you do not submit an application within the required timeframe, or you decide to withdraw from the process, we will be unable to provide a refund to your employer, and it is your responsibility to inform your employer that you did not submit an application within the required timeframe. In exceptional circumstances we may be able to carry over the assessment fee providing you contact us in advance to discuss. Should we allow you to carry over your assessment fee to the following year and you are still unable to submit your TME application by 17:00 on 1 March, we will be unable to carry your fees forward to a future year and no refund will be issued.
Is Technical membership right for you?
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