I always wanted to work outdoors driven by growing up on a dairy farm and being inspired to be involved in land management.
My undergraduate BSc (Hons) was in Countryside Management which lead me to pursue and focus on the Forestry (Distance Learning) MSc at Bangor University. Undertaking the MSc took a lot of energy and effort but was well worth it as it helped me to understand what topics I enjoyed and where I wanted to obtain employment. I was also drawn to the programme, as it allowed me to continue full-time work and study at the same time – learning the theory and carrying it out ‘on the job’.
For someone who is dyslexic, I always knew that undertaking a distance learning course especially at MSc level would be a challenge – but this was one of the reasons I was driven to do it to prove to myself that I could do it!
When I decided I wanted to focus on developing a career in forestry I gave myself four goals which were to:
- Achieve a MSc in Forestry
- Become a Chartered Forester
- Work towards employment in the operational and management aspect of forestry
- Continual professional and personal development in forestry.
I believed that building on my qualifications was a good starting point to allow me to follow onto my other goals, which looking back on my goals after 9 years I feel I have achieved three of my four goals!
My first job in forestry was a Woodland Survey Ecologist for Forestry Commission Scotland carrying out surveying for the Native Woodland Survey of Scotland which was a direct opportunity from Bangor University in their regular promotion of job advertisements. Following on from that job my career path followed quite a natural path of progression and focus and my next role was as a Woodland Assistant with the National Trust for Scotland. I also had a period of being self-employed carrying out forest mensuration surveys which gave context to forest planning/harvesting and production.
I was then employed as a Site Manager for the Woodland Trust for nearly six years. This was a great opportunity and enabled me to gain a variety of experience and develop my confidence. I managed 28 woods in Surrey and West Kent/ 18 woods in Central Scotland (predominantly urban): this involved health and safety planning, budget, contract management, coordinating volunteers, organising events and forest planning. The Woodland Trust were a really nice organisation to work for – a great culture and I really admired their objectives. I developed professionally through various internal roles, such as acting as an internal auditor for UKWAS and the staff union type group.
During my time at the Woodland Trust I wrote many woodland management plans, including a long term forest plan for a group of urban woodlands in Scotland. A key part of this particular plan was establishing a strategy for communicating forest operations to communities: I think we all know that tree harvesting can be contentious at times, particularly in the urban environment! Good communication and strong relationships with communities are absolutely essential!
The woodlands that I managed were externally audited for FSC/UKWAS. This was a nerve-wracking yet rewarding experience: all my sites were certified and I then used this as a case study for my Critical Analysis – a key aspect of the application process for full Chartered Forester status with the ICF.
I loved working with volunteers and had the privilege of getting to know over amazing 60 people. I always nominated my volunteers for awards for their outstanding work and in 2018 films were made of the winners – my winner that year was Andrew Black. Andrew was a huge help to me in Livingston as a Woodland Warden and you can watch a film featuring him (and me) here.
After nearly six happy years I decided it was time for a change from urban woodland management. I was then fortunate to gain a new role as a Woodland Officer with the regulator (Scottish Forestry) – such a contrast to the Woodland Trust! I really enjoyed the regulatory role and it was really eye opening getting to see a very wide range of applications and management plans prepared by forest owners and managers from across the public, private and third sectors. It was also fascinating to gain insights into how various forestry / land management grant schemes operate.
Since returning to work after maternity leave in 2021, I’ve been working as a Harvesting and Marketing Forester with Forestry and Land Scotland, based in Dunkeld covering Highland Perthshire. My new job is exciting and challenging – managing live harvesting sites and getting to grips with the timber market.
I became a full Chartered Forester in 2019 and I have been an active member of the South Scotland Committee for over two years. I’m hoping to organise an event for 2022 relating to forest harvesting which will give me a chance to showcase my work and gain input from other experts and stakeholders.
My career so far has been fascinating and hugely rewarding, and there are so many opportunities along the way. For example, in 2018 I was lucky enough to get a place on the Royal Scottish Forestry Society / Royal Forestry Society Bavaria trip as the Woodland Trust young forester representative – which was absolutely amazing: outstanding forestry, incredible trees and fantastic networking.
I was also fortunate to get the chance to go to Finland on a study tour in 2016, after which I put together this report.
Undertaking the MSc was the catalyst to my career, a great learning and networking opportunity and I have gained lifelong friends along the way.
If you are up for a challenge and feel ready to invest your time, then get on with it!