<![CDATA[Pressat Main Newswire]]> https://pressat.co.uk/rss/ <![CDATA[Pressat Main Newswire]]> https://pressat.co.uk/media/site/logo.png https://pressat.co.uk/rss/ en-gb Copyright: (C) Pressat Pressat <![CDATA[ #ForestDay: 5 Ways We Are Innovating ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/forestday-5-ways-we-are-innovating-cc9f723d32aef15adc933a0bad39f4e1/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/forestday-5-ways-we-are-innovating-cc9f723d32aef15adc933a0bad39f4e1/ Tuesday 19 March, 2024

Thursday 21 March is the United Nation’s International Day of Forests 2024. This year the theme is ‘Forests and Innovation: New Solutions for a Better World’. At the Royal Forestry Society we have been encouraging innovation in many ways.


Here are just five of those ways:


1 Helping Woodland Owners and Managers


Our Grants for Resilient Woodlands support Royal Forestry Societyand Royal Scottish Forestry Society (RSFS ) members to create a network of climate change, pest and disease resilient woodland across the UK.


The grant can be used to take risks and innovate with new species, mixes or silvicultural techniques. They can also be used to introduce diversity (species and structural) into forests, woodlands and landscapes. These Grants are provided in partnership with Train Hugger and GreenTheUK. Members can apply year-round for the grants.


2 Sharing Innovation


Over many years we have developed a unique mix of Divisional Meetings, courses, workshops, lectures and tours designed to share and expand knowledge. These are backed up by our Quarterly Journal of Forestry magazine with its cutting edge research papers and articles, case studies and blogs.


3 Supporting Careers


Thanks to the support of the ALA Green Charitable Trust our unique Forestry Roots scheme provides paid traineeships for ages 18 – 30. The scheme matches our members with job opportunities with young people looking for their first post in forestry. Forestry Roots is now is now one of the UK’s largest training schemes.


Watch this space: We are also setting up an Early Careers Foresters Network – more details available soon!


4 Working with Young People


The Level 1 Award in Forestry in the Community was developed by the RFS for young people wanting to gain their first experience and qualifications in Forestry.


We are also taking part in a series of Careers Roadshows to give young people a new perspective on the range off opportunities forestry and woodland management has to offer.


5 Inspiring Children


We have also found new ways to inspire young children to think about our woodlands and how they need to be managed. Our Green Tree Badge, in partnership with Bags of Ethics, aims to inspire one million children. It builds on the success of our flagship Teaching Trees programme and our widely successful Junior Forester Award, the first programme of its kind linked to forestry and soon to go over 100,000 registrations.


Find out more about International Day of Forests and follow #ForestDay to see what others are doing.




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https://www.rfs.org.uk 19 Mar 2024 12:57:36 GMT Charities & non-profits Environment & Nature
<![CDATA[ Spread the word – Excellence in Forestry Awards 2024 are open ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/spread-the-word-excellence-in-forestry-awards-2024-are-open-5d75fc99d740c8219f9b0ceee11968c8/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/spread-the-word-excellence-in-forestry-awards-2024-are-open-5d75fc99d740c8219f9b0ceee11968c8/ Thursday 8 February, 2024

This year the Royal Forestry Society Excellence in Forestry Awards are looking to cast the spotlight on exceptional woods and forestry skills and educational projects across Central and Eastern England.


Royal Forestry Society (RFS) Chief Executive Christopher Williams says: “We know there are incredible woodlands and projects across the region and are excited to hear about them.


“In this era of climate change, it has never been more important to manage our woodlands and forests well. We need to have a skilled and knowledgeable workforce to make sure our landscapes can adapt and that our children and young people understand the important part our woodlands have to play in all our futures.


“This competition will help identify those that are leading the way, and help share their knowledge and experiences more widely across the UK. It recognises woodlands and projects large and small.”


There are five categories.



The Duke of Cornwall’s Award for Resilient Multi-Purpose Forestry
The Bede Howell Award for Excellence in Silviculture
Small and Farm Woodland of the Year Award
Education and Learning Award
Community Woodland of the Year Award

Find details of them all here


Entries are welcome from Royal Forestry Society Members in the counties covered by our Nottingham/Lincolnshire, Midlands, East Anglia and North West Midlands Divisions and from Non Members across the region.


All entries must be received by 30 April.


Awards are sponsored by: Savills, Trees Please, Tilhill, Forestry Journal, Woodland Trust, PEFC and FSC.




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https://www.rfs.org.uk 08 Feb 2024 11:38:19 GMT Charities & non-profits Environment & Nature Farming & Animals
<![CDATA[ Royal Forestry Society welcome for ELM Commitment ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/royal-forestry-society-welcome-for-elm-commitment-b6fbf4b8aa303c802e72049f683a391c/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/royal-forestry-society-welcome-for-elm-commitment-b6fbf4b8aa303c802e72049f683a391c/ Tuesday 9 January, 2024

The Royal Forestry Society (RFS) welcomes the commitments from the new Environment Secretary, Steve Barclay, to bring the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) and the Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG) into new Environmental Land Management (ELM) Schemes.


The RFS also welcomes the uplift in grants to support woodland management, and hopes it will bring more woods into management.


RFS Chief Executive Christopher Williams said: “We welcome the certainty that EWCO and the WCPG will continue into ELMs.


“There is still some way to go before we can say that woodland managers are getting as good a deal as our farmers from the grant schemes. It is however good to see more grants to support woodland management and agroforestry. We hope these will be sufficient to incentivise more land managers to implement best practice in managing their trees and woods.”


“We still need further commitments to develop and support training and upskilling. This is essential to ensure we have the workforce in place to manage our woodlands now and in the future. Those skills will give us a thriving forestry sector which can help address challenges such as climate change.”


Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference, Steve Barclay also announced a number of upgrades to the schemes. He stated: “We will take a phased approach to the transition of EWCO and WCPG into ELM schemes, to allow a smooth transition, with no gap in offering grants to applicants for woodland creation. The future ELM woodland creation offer will largely mirror the EWCO offer.”


“Additionally, we will expand tree health support in Countryside Stewardship, using learning from the Tree Health Pilot. The current Tree Health Pilot grants will continue until transition into ELM, ensuring that there is no gap in support.”


He also promised a review of rates for the England Woodland Creation Offer and related forestry grants alongside the new ELM.


New within the woodland management offer will be actions to improve resilience, flood and drought mitigation. There will be support to manage our most precious woodland habitats, wildfire management, provide educational and public access. Alongside will be new capital items for restocking, coppicing and ride creation.


To support Agroforestry, Mr Barclay announced a suite of in-field actions across various tree densities to encourage more trees in the farmed landscape, alongside agricultural production.


Some improvements such as improved payment rates in Countryside Stewardship have already been announced. There are also promises to improve offers on wood pasture and species management, including the impacts of deer and grey squirrels.




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https://www.rfs.org.uk 09 Jan 2024 14:00:02 GMT Environment & Nature
<![CDATA[ Collaboration in the forestry sector creates opportunity for new graduate ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/collaboration-in-the-forestry-sector-creates-opportunity-for-new-graduate-d707bfa5bc49c20ee38ff0f72d5a429a/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/collaboration-in-the-forestry-sector-creates-opportunity-for-new-graduate-d707bfa5bc49c20ee38ff0f72d5a429a/ Monday 19 October, 2020

The government’s targets for tree planting are ambitious and the strategic importance of woodland and forest management, the use of the best quality planting stock and engaging young foresters in the sector are becoming ever more critical. Tree improvement charity Future Trees Trust have recognised this and, with funding from the Patsy Wood Trust and working with the Royal Forestry Society, are collaborating to deliver the Patsy Wood Scholarship.


The Scholarship was launched last year to provide a key career stepping stone for new entrants into the forestry sector and the first position was awarded to Jonas Brandl, a graduate of Bangor Universities MSc in Agroforestry.


The second Patsy Wood Scholar is James Cryer, who will be working with independent forestry consultant William Hamer working mainly in Hampshire and Berkshire. James will be undertaking a range of forestry activities to provide him with a broad experience on which to build his forestry career. These will include all aspects of advising forest owners, preparing management plans, organizing contractors and marking, measuring and selling timber as well as plantation establishment and


maintenance.


The post also comes with specialist CPD training with the RFS and through Future Tree Trust, particularly looking at the critical role of forest genetic resources in tree improvement, sound seed sourcing and planning future plant selections to deliver resilient plantations.



James Cryer, Patsy Wood Scholar says:


“I am thrilled to have been offered the position of Patsy Wood Scholar. It is promising to see that despite the current pandemic the forestry sector remains strong and I feel privileged to be able to continue learning my craft. This position provides a unique opportunity to learn about all aspects of life as a modern forest manager and I am fortunate to be working under an experienced professional in William. My first month has seen me learn about the wood fuel business, ancient woodland surveys, timber harvesting and measurement to name a few. Additionally, I will be learning from Dr Jo Clark at Future Trees Trust acquiring knowledge of forest genetic resources – an application of forestry that will become increasingly important, as future foresters are presented with novel management challenges that require productive and resilient planting stock. The programme also offers a generous subsidy for further training and professional development, introducing various skills I will use throughout my career.”


You can also read a blog by James Cryer
here.


Tim Rowland, CEO at Future Trees Trust says:


“Future Trees Trust is delighted to be able to continue supporting this role, using the generous funding we received from the Patsy Wood Trust. Jonas’s scholarship was a great success, despite the restrictions placed on him by the Covid pandemic. It’s really important to us that young foresters are encouraged and helped early in their careers to understand the importance of tree improvement as well as all the other aspects of forest management and silviculture.”


Simon Lloyd, CEO at the RFS says


“We congratulate James on his appointment and wish him every success. The RFS is pleased to be able to support this excellent scholarship programme to nurture talent in response to a national need.”


William Hamer says:


“I have been delighted to welcome James to my practice; he is already proving a valuable team member and is picking up skills and knowledge on a daily basis. There is enormous scope for good forest managers to improve the care of our woodlands in this part of England and I am pleased to be playing a small part in introducing the next generation of foresters and helping them acquire the skills and knowledge they need to carry forward this important work”.




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https://www.rfs.org.uk 19 Oct 2020 14:00:02 GMT Environment & Nature
<![CDATA[ Treescapes2020 – bringing research and practice together ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/treescapes2020-bringing-research-and-practice-together-fcfa5eee5acb83f85340ce2f65ada904/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/treescapes2020-bringing-research-and-practice-together-fcfa5eee5acb83f85340ce2f65ada904/ Thursday 12 March, 2020

A unique two-day conference, Treescapes2020, is being led by PhD students from a number of UK universities for foresters, land managers and researchers. It aims to stimulate lasting conversations between the research and forestry practitioner communities.


Panel discussions will be chaired by Professor Nicola Spence, Defra’s Chief Plant Health Officer, and by biological anthropologist, author and well known broadcaster Professor Alice Roberts, who is also Professor of Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham.


Keynote speakers include:



Jaboury Ghazoul, the Director of the Centre for Sustainable Forests and Landscapes at the University of Edinburgh, and Professor of Ecosystem Management at ETH Zurich, Switzerland;
Chris Quine, Chief Scientist at Forest Research (FR) and a member of FR’s executive team
Geraint Richards, Head Forester at the Duchy of Cornwall chair of Action Oak and formerly co-chair of Future Trees Trust and the National Tree Improvement Strategy

Treescapes2020 is co-hosted by Doctoral Training Programmes Centa, EnVision, and Forest Edge and by the Royal Forestry Society (RFS) at the University of Birmingham on 1 & 2 July 2020. Details of the packed programme of panels, workshops, and speakers and booking are available at www.birmingham.ac.uk/treescapes2020


RFS Chief Executive Simon Lloyd says: “An incredible range of presentations and workshops is expected to create new conversations, insights and actions across the research and forestry practitioner communities. With so much change and uncertainty, close collaboration between these communities is more important than ever.”


Workshops include topics such as climate smart forestry, natural regeneration, managing changing treescapes. More than 30 presentations and 20 posters will represent a wide spectrum of research into all aspects of woodland management and forestry.


Delegates can also opt for an additional guided tour of the only forest scale Free Air Carbon Enrichment (FACE) facility in the Northern Hemisphere (BIFoR) at Norbury Park in Staffordshire on Day 3 (July 3).


Sponsors include the Woodland Trust and the RFS is offering up to five Spencer Bursaries to enable students to attend the conference. Bursary details are available at https://www.rfs.org.uk/learning/bursaries-and-studentships/rfs-spencer-bursary/




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https://www.rfs.org.uk 12 Mar 2020 12:12:39 GMT Environment & Nature Farming & Animals
<![CDATA[ Where have your Wellies Taken You? ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/where-have-your-wellies-taken-you-9e955c5253872291934ea6ab14323901/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/where-have-your-wellies-taken-you-9e955c5253872291934ea6ab14323901/ Monday 13 January, 2020

Have your wellies helped you explore woods, discover minibeasts, climb a tree, wade through forest streams, build a den or go on a woodland adventure?


To help celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Teaching Trees programme, the Royal Forestry Society is inviting children, schools and young people’s organisations to enter a free poetry competition inspired by Michael and Clare Morpurgo’s remarkable book Where My Wellies Take Me.


There are three categories Age 5 - 7 (Key Stage 1), Age 7 - 11 (Key Stage 2) and Age 11 - 13 (Key Stage 3). Winners will be announced on World Book Day (5 March) and they and their school/organisation will each receive a hardback copy of Where my Wellies Take Me. Closing date for entries is Monday 24th February. Full details are available at https://www.rfs.org.uk/learning/teaching-trees/where-my-wellies-take-me-poetry-competition-for-world-book-day/.


Where My Wellies Take Me was voted by Teaching Trees’ Education Officers as one of their top 20 books for inspiring imaginations and creativity when visiting a forest. View the full list of books at https://www.rfs.org.uk/news/blogs/.


Teaching Trees already operates in nine regions in England and is hoping to announce an additional three Education Officers during 2020.





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https://www.rfs.org.uk 13 Jan 2020 15:19:43 GMT Environment & Nature
<![CDATA[ Excellence in Forestry 2020 – from Wales to Northern Ireland ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/excellence-in-forestry-2020-from-wales-to-northern-ireland-fb055aa127b2a3e256e7f87729b55ab6/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/excellence-in-forestry-2020-from-wales-to-northern-ireland-fb055aa127b2a3e256e7f87729b55ab6/ Monday 2 December, 2019

The Royal Forestry Society’s Excellence in Forestry Awards 2020 will be reaching across the Irish Sea for the first time as they seek to identify the very best in woodland management in Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Wales.


Urging owners and managers of woods of all sizes and those running woodland education and learning projects to take part, Excellence in Forestry Awards co-ordinator Rachel Thomas says: “At a time when we hear a lot about the need to plant new trees to combat climate change, it is equally important that we manage our existing woods to optimise their benefits for climate change, rural economies and health and wellbeing.


“We know there are many fine woods and forests in Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man and we want to be able to shout about them. These awards will throw a spotlight on those who are achieving the very best, helping to share and promote best practice.”


There are five categories:


The Duke of Cornwall’s Award for Resilient Multipurpose ForestrySilviculture Award for plantings than are less than 30 years oldSmall and Farm WoodlandCommunity WoodlandEducation and Learning Award

Deadline for entries is Tuesday 3 March 2020, judging will be held in May with an awards event in July. Full details are available here https://www.rfs.org.uk/awards/excellence-in-forestry-2020/


Sponsors include Forestry Journal, FSC, PEFC, Tilhill, TreesPlease, Savills and Woodland Trust




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https://www.rfs.org.uk 02 Dec 2019 15:27:16 GMT Charities & non-profits Environment & Nature
<![CDATA[ Forestry Roots – kickstarting careers for five young foresters ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/forestry-roots-kickstarting-careers-for-five-young-foresters-df23cab5e3c2377f524fc42133f32a3f/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/forestry-roots-kickstarting-careers-for-five-young-foresters-df23cab5e3c2377f524fc42133f32a3f/ Wednesday 13 November, 2019

Five young foresters have started their careers this autumn – thanks to an innovative Forestry Roots project between the Royal Forestry Society (RFS) and the ALA Green Charitable Trust.


The scheme, now in its second year, matches college and university leavers with employers. As well as one-year paid first jobs, Forestry Roots also includes a package of training and continuous career development opportunities, helping to address acknowledged skills gaps within forestry and increase employment prospects for young people in forestry.


This year’s successful Forestry Roots applicants were:


Sam Cain who takes on the role of Assistant Wood Reeve, Tregothnan Estate, Kent. Sam has a City & Guilds Level 3 Tech Cert in Arboriculture from Myerscough College; Isaac Carr: Assistant Forest Worker, Westacre Estate, Norfolk. Isaac has a Level 3 Tech Cert in Arboriculture from Myerscough College;Rhys Hancock: woodland grounds assistant, Huntley Estate, Gloucestershire. He holds a Level 3 in Countryside Management from Coleg Gwent; Jack Hunt: Assistant Forest Manager with Exmoor National Park Authority. He holds both a BSc (Hons) Animal Conservation Oxford Brookes University and a Forestry and Arboriculture Level 2 Diploma (City & Guilds);Philippa Pearson: Assistant Forestry Worker, Englefield Estate, Reading. Phillipa has a Level 2 Diploma in Practical Environmental Conservation from the National Open College Network.

Adam Pickles, RFS Future Foresters Officer, said: “With the support of the ALA Green Charitable Trust, we are delighted to have been able to expand the scheme from four places to five this year and thank all those RFS members who offered meaningful posts to help young people take the first steps in their forestry careers. We wish all this year’s Forestry Roots holders the very best and we will be following their progress with interest.”


For two of last year’s holders the scheme has led to permanent positions, and given valuable experience to the other two holders as they continue to develop their careers.


ALA Green Charitable Trust Trustees said: “The Forestry Roots project has enjoyed a most successful 1st year. We are delighted that permanent positions have been secured by participants and our thanks go to all those involved in promoting the careers of young people in such a diverse and exciting sector.


“Moving forward with the RFS, we are excited to build on this success with future candidates.”


Spelling out just how valuable Forestry Roots has been to them, are blogs from two of last year’s Forestry Roots holders, Sam Ozaktanlar and Katie Stevens at https://www.rfs.org.uk/news/blogs/skills/


More on forestry Roots here (https://www.rfs.org.uk/about/job-vacancies/forestry-roots/)


Notes for editors


The Royal Forestry Society


The Royal Forestry Society (RFS) is the largest and longest established educational charity promoting the wise management of trees and woods in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.The RFS aims to inspire passion and excellence in woodland management. We do this through education and knowledge-sharing.Future Foresters is an RFS programme which aims to strengthen the pipeline of skilled people entering forestry, to ensure we have a workforce that can meet the challenges of the 21st century. The RFS believes bringing neglected woods back into management and sharing knowledge on how to manage woods to a high standard is vital to the long-term health of our woods and trees. Our policies identify what is required to ensure our woods deliver their full economic, environmental and public benefits. For information go to www.rfs.org.uk. Follow us: Twitter: @royal_forestry, Facebook: Royal Forestry Society – RFS, Linked- In: Royal Forestry Society


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https://www.rfs.org.uk 13 Nov 2019 16:08:52 GMT Charities & non-profits Environment & Nature Government