Our monthly policy and research blog updates you on the latest work at the Institute and how you can get involved.
Institute news
We have been delighted to welcome Shona Smyth MICFor to the Institute team as our new Senior Technical Officer. Shona will be working with Jemima on the Institute’s policy positions, as well as developing CPD opportunities for members. Shona joins us from working in the sector as Forest Manager and is bringing invaluable insight from the sector to the work of the Institute. Do contact Shona with thoughts or suggestions on what we could be doing to influence policy on behalf of the profession.
It has been another turbulent month in politics. At the time of writing, Rishi Sunak has just been announced as the new Prime Minister. Before Liz Truss’ resignation, we were drafting a letter to the new forestry minister Trudy Harrison and will pick up this work when further announcements are made.
We are drafting a response to the Wales Agriculture Bill, a draft of which will go out to members this week. We welcome your responses and encourage you to make your own response Agriculture (Wales) Bill (senedd.wales). We are also planning responses to the UKFS consultation UK Forestry Standard: draft updated content and the RICS consultation RICS Draft Professional Standard: Valuation of Woodlands and Forests, 2nd edition so please engage with those as and when you can.
This month we held our first Special Interest Group on Nurseries. We want to better represent our members working in the nursery sector, facilitate knowledge exchange between nurseries and the traditional forestry sector and make sure that we are the professional home for those working in nurseries. The first meeting was positive and energetic and further activities and announcements will follow.
Sector news
- Guidance on marketing forest reproductive material – read
- Drax responds after biomass criticism – read
- Public consultation opens in Ireland on new forestry programme – read
- Political instability a concern for the forestry sector – read
- Woodland Trust’s evidence in response to government food strategy – read
- Why a natural environment is essential for the economy – read
- CIEEM respond to political uncertainty and environment legislation – read
- Forestry sector call for stability as new Prime Minister announced – read
