The Institute of Chartered Foresters is pleased to announce the four recipients of the 2018 Prince of Wales Forest Leadership Award. The Institute’s Student members Tom Haynes and Michael Wilson from the University of Cumbria were selected among talented competition as the United Kingdom applicants, while Daniel Root from the
Confor has welcomed reassurance that forestry professionalism will be protected and promoted in new administrative arrangements in Scotland – and that the Scottish Government’s plan to keep Scotland’s two new forestry bodies separate will prevent the industry facing a £30 million black hole. Fergus Ewing MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural
The Institute of Chartered Foresters is pleased to announce the four recipients of the 2018 Prince of Wales Forest Leadership Award. The Institute’s Student members Tom Haynes and Michael Wilson from the University of Cumbria were selected among talented competition as the United Kingdom applicants, while Daniel Root from the University of Toronto and Erin Pearson from College of the North Atlantic were selected among top Canadian recipients. Now in its fourth year, the Award program is fully endorsed by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. The Award program is a UK-Canada partnership between The Prince of Wales’ Duchy of Cornwall, the Institute of Chartered Foresters in the UK, and CIF-IFC in Canada, sponsored by the The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation. “This unique and prestigious Award helps foster future forest leaders by recognising young professionals with a passion for forestry and natural resources management,” explains Dana Collins, Executive Director at CIF-IFC. “We’ve received an overwhelmingly positive response from previous Award recipients and employers, and are very excited to continue building on the success of this program again this year.” The UK and Canadian recipients will participate in an international work exchange in their respective partner countries during the summer of 2018. They will be placed in roles at some of the top forestry and natural resources management employers in Canada and the UK, in addition to receiving a bursary of £7,500 GBP to cover expenses. This year’s employers will be announced shortly. “I am delighted by the continued interest in this Award,” says Geraint Richards MVO MICFor, the Duchy of Cornwall’s Head Forester. “The Award will further strengthen our relationship with the Canadian Institute of Forestry. I wish Daniel, Erin, Tom and Michael, every success and I look forward to hearing about their experiences abroad.” “The Institute of Chartered Foresters congratulates all recipients of The Prince of Wales Forest Leadership Award. This is a fantastic opportunity for future forest leaders. We are looking forward to welcoming the Canadian winners to the UK, and hope that it is an invaluable learning experience in both countries,” added Andy Lederer, Development Director at the Institute of Chartered Foresters.
Confor has welcomed reassurance that forestry professionalism will be protected and promoted in new administrative arrangements in Scotland – and that the Scottish Government’s plan to keep Scotland’s two new forestry bodies separate will prevent the industry facing a £30 million black hole. Fergus Ewing MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity, outlined proposals earlier this week to manage and administer the sector when the devolution of forestry in Scotland is completed. The plans are part of the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Bill, which is due to be debated again on March 1st in the Scottish Parliament and is likely to be passed before the summer. The Scottish Government has proposed that the roles currently fulfilled by Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) and Forestry Enterprise Scotland (FES) reflect the devolution of forestry by taking on new titles. They would be Scottish Forestry, a new dedicated division within the Scottish Government, and a new agency of the Scottish Government called Forestry and Land Scotland. Confor Chief Executive Stuart Goodall said: “A lot of thought has gone into these new structures and Confor is happy to support them. It is also important that Forestry and Land Scotland has the same status as FES has had previously – that of a public corporation.” In the letter to Mr Ewing, Mr Goodall said: “[This status] is vital as the organisation is expected to rely heavily on trading timber for its income and needs to be able to build reserves and have flexibility across financial years. The information provided in your statement shows this carry-over was more than £30 million in the last financial year. It is clear this public corporation status is key to the future success of the FES and Confor hopes Forestry and Land Scotland continues to have the same flexibility.” Mr Goodall also welcomed confirmation that the post of Chief Forester – a proposal Confor put forward – will be established with a key role to protect and promote professionalism in the new division. He said: “While it is important that forestry is at the heart of government policy-making and not the periphery, it is also important that regulation of forestry is undertaken by professionals, and that they have the opportunity to gain experience in the private sector and in Forestry and Land Scotland. This is confirmed in the statement.” The letter was copied to the Conveners of both the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee (ECCLR) and Rural Affairs and Connectivity Committee (REC) and MSPs on the two committees. Mr Goodall said: “Confor has contributed written and oral evidence at all stages of this process and will continue to engage positively with all parties to ensure a positive future for Scotland’s £1 billion forestry industry and the 25,000-plus jobs it supports.”
