Join us on International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March and:
Celebrate women working with trees
Encourage more women and girls to consider forestry and arboriculture as a career
Share your experiences to #InspireInclusion
Women are still underrepresented in our sector and we need to ensure that people from all genders and backgrounds consider forestry and arboriculture as a career that is open to them.
Our Strategic Plan 2022-2026 aspires to increase the diversity of our membership.
17%
in 2022
18.9%
in 2023
Meet some of the women working across our sector
Louise Simpson – Executive Director, Institute of Chartered Foresters
Shona Smyth MICFor – Technical Policy Manager, Institute of Chartered Foresters
Shireen Chambers MBE FICFor – Chief Executive, Future Woodlands Scotland
Elva Preston – Senior Arboricultural Consultant, Tetra Tech
Lucy Pitt MICFor – Senior Officer Forest Operations, Natural Resources Wales
Olivia FitzGerald – Assistant Manager (Graduate), Tilhill
Lara Martini – Woodland Owner
Watch: the role of women in forestry
In 2023, the Forestry Commission shared a new video that features a range of women involved in the sector, including the Institute’s Technical Policy Manager, Shona Smyth MICFor. The video explores what it means to be a forester both 100 years ago and today.
