A multi-purpose approach to managing the nation’s forests
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By Chris Sorensen, Forest Management Advisor, Forestry England
What’s a forester?
I was asked to write something regarding the difference between production woodlands and amenity woodlands and what skills a forester would need for each. A good starting point is to ask how you define a “forester”? Is that someone who cuts down big trees? Someone who plants small trees? Is it someone who controls deer to reduce tree damage? Someone who improves habitat for woodland wildlife? Or someone who manages a network of walking routes in a forest?
Well, in truth, it can be all these things and more and they all have different skill sets. Forestry is an evolving profession, and most forests are now managed for multiple purposes. There are of course some exceptions to this but at Forestry England we recognise that all woodlands can contribute to both production and amenity (plus a myriad of other benefits such as nature recovery, flood alleviation, landscape improvement and so on).
For example, many of our most visited woodlands are the product of major afforestation projects in the 20th Century – Kielder Forest in Northumberland being the obvious one. Originally Kielder was designed to produce timber and very little else. Nowadays it has been transformed into one of the most visited forests in England with cycle trails, walking routes, car parks and a visitor centre. Oh, and it also produces around 350,000 tonnes of sustainably home-grown timber each year as well…
That’s not to say there aren’t conflicts of course. Harvesting trees is an inherently dangerous business and we need to restrict public access to certain parts of the forest when undertaking such work, sometimes to the annoyance of walkers, cyclists and horse-riders. And busy times of the year such as school holidays can mean we have to shift our timber harvesting operations to remoter parts of the forest which can cause logistical issues for the people doing the harvesting (sometimes to their annoyance). This undeniably can cause tension.
Managing woodlands – benefits for biodiversity and timber
But the crucial element is that we continue to manage woodlands. Lack of management is seen as one of the biggest contributors to a decline in woodland biodiversity. Put simply if you don’t periodically “thin” out trees by harvesting them, the woodlands get darker and darker. So much of our woodland ecology is associated with shifting patterns of light as trees grow from seedlings to maturity. But because we lack the huge herbivores in our ecology (think wild aurochs or bison) to create these shifting open spaces we must manage this light manipulation ourselves via harvesting operations. The products are timber and biodiversity gain!
Another aspect of thinning is that the growth is concentrated on to the remaining trees. As thinning progresses, you eventually get fewer but larger trees. People like big trees! People also like to see wildlife – there is nothing more uplifting than seeing a rare species such as an adder or a goshawk or hearing nightjar calling at dusk. Woodland management produces both elements to the physical and mental benefit of our visitors.
Therefore, it can be said that at the macro scale there is no conflict between timber production, biodiversity and amenity. But on a site-based, very local scale there most certainly can be. That is one of the key roles perhaps of a modern forester, managing those occasions and accepting some compromises. Any short courses in conflict management and negotiating skills are worthwhile taking if you are given an opportunity, as managing contractors and visitors, liaising with neighbouring landowners and other groups. can be a big part of the job. Most roles need other skills too, the obvious one being the ability to work in a team.
Skills and training
So, what other skills does a modern forester need? Well, it still helps if you know about tree management and woodland ecology – that is our core business after all. It is a fact that we do struggle to find suitable candidates with basic forestry skills. There are courses in higher education, but the throughput isn’t enough to fill the gaps in staffing that we and the broader forest industry need. To that end the Forestry Commission has introduced its own Forestry Apprenticeship which is a fully paid position leading to a Forestry Degree with the University of Cumbria - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-forestry-apprenticeship. This year’s round has closed but keep your eyes open for 2024 applications.
But there are dozens of roles within Forestry England as well as general foresters. To mention a few: harvesting machinery operators; forest craftsperson; recreation rangers; ecologists; there are education posts; wildlife rangers. Wildlife rangers do spend a lot of time shooting deer to control their overpopulation - again, we have to do what our missing carnivore ecology, lynx and wolves, doesn’t. All these roles have specialist technical requirements, particularly positions such as wildlife rangers (who require firearms training and certification) and machinery operators and forest craftsperson (specialist machinery, chainsaw and spraying certificates). A lot of these can be obtained at higher education establishments as part of a degree, on short-courses or on the job training.
Some of the roles in recreation and education can be attractive to more general qualifications such as countryside management or environmental science (most ecologists have an ecology qualification or substantial experience in the field). However, that’s not to say candidates with those more general qualifications don’t make excellent foresters – we do a lot of in-house forestry training for applicants who are successful and want to upskill.
We continue to manage the nation’s forests following world-class, sustainable forest and land management standards to ensure they thrive and provide vital sustainably produced timber. And as we welcome more people to enjoy the beauty, wellbeing and recreation opportunities of the 1,500 forests and woodlands in our care and supply renewable timber to a green economy, our multi-purpose approach remains central. As we meet the challenges of this balanced management approach, attracting new people into the industry to take on the varied and dynamic role of forester is more important than ever.
First published in CJS Focus on Land and Habitat Management in association with the Landscape Institute on 5 June 2023. Read the full issue here
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