The work of those who manage trees, woodlands and forests has never been more important. With nominations currently open for Professional Forester of the Year 2024, we recently caught up with Jonathan Callis MICFor, winner of the inaugural Professional Forester of the Year award, to find out what winning the award meant to him and his career.
“Winning the inaugural Professional Forester of the Year Award was undoubtedly a career highlight. Each time I see the beautiful carved yew wood trophy it makes me feel very proud!
Being nominated and then shortlisted was wonderful, but given the quality of the other finalists…I had no expectation of actually winning! I was genuinely shocked, but absolutely delighted and honoured to have been chosen by the Institute’s judging panel.
The award was cause for great celebration with family and friends, but it has also made a real impact at work. Almost immediately my employers Network Rail made a big effort to recognise the achievement in multiple ways. The company intranet carried the story as a headline item, and I was written to by our GB Chairman, the Chief Executive and our Group Director – all kindly sending lengthy and generous messages. Our full Scotland team, from the Managing Director to frontline colleagues, also made the effort to offer personal congratulations. All agreed it was great for an individual working for the company to be recognised at a UK level forest industry event.
A few weeks later, quite unexpectedly, I received an invitation to present to the Network Rail GB Board, plus to join them for dinner the night before their meeting! While the lead up and preparation was a bit daunting, it was a great experience and I was made to feel very welcome. It was a good opportunity to share the story of what a professional forester, other specialists and our dedicated field teams do working with railway trees and land.
In the summer I was asked by the Institute to assist with PME assessments. This allowed me to offer something back, so I was pleased to get involved. While an intense process at times, it was a great learning opportunity and I am looking forward to similarly supporting the process for new Technical members.
A few weeks ago, I applied for and was selected to be promoted at work into a very exciting senior-level delivery role. Winning the award gave me the boost and confidence to apply, and I am certainly glad I did! Importantly, I will still be directly involved in working with trees, but will also form a new internal arboriculture team, something I am really looking forward to.
A year ago, I had no idea what was around the corner, or the positive effects that winning the Professional Forester of the Year award would have. I wish this year’s nominees the very best of luck, and look forward to celebrating their achievements when the winner is announced!”
The Professional Forester of the Year award is presented at Confor’s Annual Dinner & Awards. Learn more about how to nominate someone for the 2024 award on the Professional Forester of the Year webpage.
Applications for 2024 will be accepted from Monday 4 December 2023 until Friday 26 January 2024 – download the nomination form.
