The Institute is delighted that Chartered Forester Gareth Hopkins MICFor has been awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the Forestry Sector in the New Year Honours 2025 list. Gareth was recently promoted to a Professional Member of the Institute in December 2024.
As the Forestry Commission’s Apprenticeship Programme Manager, Gareth’s work and leadership was instrumental in the development of the UK’s first degree level Professional Forester Apprenticeship with partners the University of Cumbria and the Institute of Chartered Foresters. The apprenticeship scheme was launched in 2022 and continues to be one of the most competitive and exciting opportunities for new entrants into the forestry sector, playing a vital part in the growing, upskilling and diversification of our workforce, supporting the skills crisis.
Steve Scott FICFor is Head of Head of Learning & Apprenticeships at the Forestry Commission. Speaking on Gareth’s MBE, Steve said:
“Gareth has led the Forestry Commission’s input into the first ever degree-level (L6) Professional Forester Apprenticeship scheme in England, working in partnership with the University of Cumbria and the Institute of Chartered Foresters. This was to address the challenge of a fast-decreasing forestry education provision at a time when the UK will require significantly more people to join the forestry sector to deliver legally binding woodland and tree cover targets.
He worked tirelessly and conscientiously, and initially single-handedly, to address challenges from assisting with devising an entire curriculum, to working around the scarcity of trainers, to negotiating a collaborative model with the University of Cumbria and resolving the challenges of physically hosting apprentices.
Thanks to his inspirational leadership and the promotion that he led, the success of this offer was phenomenal, with over 400 individual applications for the first year of the scheme (and over 600 in successive years), for the 15 Forestry Commission places initially advertised.
Gareth has a long and distinguished career in forestry in the private, third and public sectors, starting at the roots as a machine operator and estate worker as well as running his own forestry business. He put himself through college to obtain formal qualifications in forestry which then enabled him to a varied and rich career working at the Forestry Commission in Forest Research, on the Public Forest Estate and in the core Department. He has also worked for the Woodland Trust and Natural England. He particular made his mark, however, in Technical Training with the Forestry Commission: over nine years he became a highly respected trainer, inspiring a generation of foresters and forest workers across Great Britain.”
Applications for 2025’s Professional Forester Apprenticeship have not opened yet but the Forestry Commission are keen to hear from employers who may be able to host the apprentices on their placements. Find out more here.
