Professional forester
Agriculture, environmental and animal care
Level 6 -
Provide expert advice on the woodlands and forests.
Reference: OCC0923
Status:
SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 1212/03 Forestry managers
- 2112/03 Botanical and horticultural scientists
- 5119/03 Countryside and park officers and rangers
- 9112/01 Forest workers
Technical Education Products
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Say it with wood Heart of England Forest Cartwright Forestry National Trust Cumbria Woodlands Forestry Commission National Forest Company The Environment Partnership Confor Institute of Chartered Foresters Forest Industry Safety Accord Skills & Education Group Royal Forestry Society Tir Coed Forestry England Lockhart Garratt Duchy of Cornwall Total Trees Pryor & Rickett Sylva LGLuk Pryor& Rickett Silviculture
Summary
This occupation is found in governmental, non-governmental, private, public, charitable and local authority organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have an interest in forestry and woodland creation and management. Landowning organisations, e.g. Local Authorities or private estates, may employ their own Professional Foresters, whereas private landowners, e.g. farmers, may bring one in as a consultant.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to provide expert technical advice on the planning, creation, management, harvesting and utilisation of woodlands and forests (known as silviculture). Professional Foresters form the link between landowners, contractors and timber-buyers, providing technical expertise to inform and manage delivery of sustainable multi-purpose forest management outcomes in relation to the UK Government’s Forestry Act. Expertise in forest and woodland carbon accounting and land use change are becoming increasingly important for Professional Foresters who will be responsible for writing Woodland Management Plans (WMPs), Forest Design Plans (FDPs) and Woodland Creation Design Plans (WCDPs), using expert knowledge of legislation, regulation and silvicultural good practice, and will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of those plans.
Professional Foresters will be integral to the achievement of Government targets for delivery of public goods under the 25-Year Plan for the Environment, and Net Zero 2050 targets for carbon reduction. In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with landowners and agents, statutory bodies, local authorities, local & national interest groups, ecologists, engineers and other professional experts, timber buyers, contractors, suppliers, colleagues, volunteers and the public. In many cases Professional Foresters will be required to understand how forestry fits into the wider land-management planning of a given client or organisation and will liaise with other stakeholders to manage conflicting pressures and achieve complementary outcomes. The uniquely long-term nature of forest planning cycles means that many Professional Foresters will have long-term professional relationships with their clients, sometimes spanning decades. In some cases, especially hardwood silviculture, management decisions made by a Professional Forester now may not even come to fruition in their or their clients’ lifetime.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for:
- Autonomous decision making relating to land use change pertaining to woodland operations
- Appropriate decision making within organisational structures (e.g. Woodland Officer reporting to Field Manager)
- Budget management, including applying for and/or administering grant funding
- Awarding and managing contracts to contractors
- Procurement and sales
- Gathering, analysing, interpreting, implementing and communicating information
- Regulatory compliance.
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Say it with wood Heart of England Forest Cartwright Forestry National Trust Cumbria Woodlands Forestry Commission National Forest Company The Environment Partnership Confor Institute of Chartered Foresters Forest Industry Safety Accord Skills & Education Group Royal Forestry Society Tir Coed Forestry England Lockhart Garratt Duchy of Cornwall Total Trees Pryor & Rickett Sylva LGLuk Pryor& Rickett Silviculture
Typical job titles include:
Keywords:
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
Duties
Duty D1
Provide technical expertise in relation to all aspects of sustainable forest management from woodland creation to timber harvesting.
Duty D2
Research survey and collect data on established woodlands and forests, and measure, map and record established forest management units (FMUs) using, for example, on-the-ground mapping, geospatial and UAV technology.
Duty D3
Survey, collate and interpret silvicultural data on established woodlands and forests for safety, resilience, pests & diseases, tree health, and woodland condition.
Duty D4
Survey, evaluate and inventory woodland potential for timber production and communicate results to clients, colleagues and others to inform, for example, commercial timber sales contracts and production forecasts.
Duty D5
Collect, analyse and evaluate landscape and environmental information to write Woodland Creation Design Plans for new woodland planting and afforestation schemes.
Duty D6
Advise clients / landowners / others on the commercial potential for woodland carbon, for example the Woodland Carbon Guarantee.
Duty D7
Analyse and evaluate silvicultural and other information, for example archaeological or ecological to develop UKFS-compliant forest / Woodland Management Plans for established woodlands and forests.
Duty D8
Interpret and implement forest / Woodland Management Plans for the management of established woodlands and forests for timber production.
Duty D9
Provide expert technical advice to others on the development, interpretation and implementation of forest / woodland design creation and management plans.
Duty D10
Interpret and implement forest / woodland establishment, maintenance and harvesting operations in accordance with forest / woodland design creation and management plans, and production forecasts.
Duty D11
Plan, manage and be responsible for onsite operations, including health, safety & welfare, legal and regulatory compliance, silvicultural & environmental good practice, compliance with the UKFS, access and haulage.
Duty D12
Develop, maintain and manage relationships with clients, timber buyers, colleagues, contractors and volunteers.
Occupational Progression
This occupational progression map shows technical occupations that have transferable knowledge and skills.
In this map, the focused occupation is highlighted in yellow. The arrows indicate where transferable knowledge and skills exist between two occupations. This map shows some of the strongest progression links between the focused occupation and other occupations.
It is anticipated that individuals would be required to undertake further learning or training to progress to and from occupations. To find out more about an occupation featured in the progression map, including the learning options available, click the occupation.
Progression decisions have been reached by comparing the knowledge and skills statements between occupational standards, combined with individualised learner movement data.
Agriculture, environmental and animal care