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Confor announces new forestry awards for 2020

Three new awards will be presented at Confor’s expanded Forestry Dinner & Awards Evening in February 2020.

Along with the well-established Dedicated Service to Forestry Award, there are new awards for leadership, innovation and communication - to be presented at The Sheraton Grand Hotel in Edinburgh on Tuesday, 25 February..

“The new awards build on the success of the 2019 dinner and the positive growth of the industry,” said Confor CEO Stuart Goodall. “The Dedicated Service to Forestry Award is the premier industry award, but we wanted to reward excellence more widely across the sector. We are delighted that we are able to award these new prizes, thanks to great support from our sponsors James Jones & Sons, Scottish Woodlands, Forestry & Land Scotland and Forestry Commission.

“We now want the industry to come forward and make nominations for the new awards, to ensure we find some truly worthy winners.”

The three new awards are:

Future Forestry Leader Award – to an individual with outstanding skills, who has the potential to be a leader in the forestry and timber sector - someone showing initiative, passion and making a real difference to the sector - sponsored by James Jones & Sons Ltd.
Changing Attitudes Award - to an individual or business promoting the forestry and wood sector in a positive and impactful way - through personal engagement, campaigning or communication, social media or other ways - sponsored by Scottish Woodlands Ltd.
Innovation and Research Award – to a business or individual delivering successful innovation and/or research which has clearly demonstrated greater productivity or efficiency in the forestry and wood industry - sponsored by Forestry Commission and Forestry & Land Scotland.

Nominations close on 28th January 2020 Click through or details,

Stanford researchers explore how citizens can become agents of environmental change - Stanford University

Some programs work better than others when it comes to involving citizens in preserving the environment. After reviewing those that worked, Stanford researchers propose a blueprint for how others can educate people to maximize their impact.

If you like to walk in the woods, raft a river, dig in a garden or look at butterflies, you could become an agent of change.

Science and policy may not be enough to solve complex environmental challenges ranging from species extinction to water pollution, but actively engaged citizens could tip the balance, according to a new Stanford-led study that provides a blueprint for empowering people to turn the tide of environmental destruction. In Biological Conservation, the researchers outline four key facets of programs that have been successful in motivating and training people to have a meaningful impact.

“Effective environmental education moves people to persistent action through engaging with issues in relevant ways,” said study lead author Nicole Ardoin. “Without it, making sustained change on environmental and sustainability issues simply is not possible.”

Environmental education: Keys to success

Focus on local environmental issues or locally relevant dimensions of global issues
Collaborate with scientists and resource managers
Incorporate action elements into programs
Measure and report program outcomes

Read the paper: Nicole M. Ardoin, Alison W. Bowers, Estelle Gaillard, Environmental education outcomes for conservation: A systematic review, Biological Conservation, 2019, 108224, ISSN 0006-3207 doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108224. (open acess)

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