Forest officer

 

Who can apply?

What is the work like?

You must have one of the following qualifications: a BTEC (Business & Technicians Education Council) or SCOTVEC (Scottish Vocational Education Council) Higher National Diploma in Forestry or its SCOTVEC equivalent; a BSc degree in Forestry; a City & Guilds of London Institute (CGLI) phase IV Certificate in Forestry; or a SCOTVEC equivalent.

Other qualifications acceptable for Forest Officer entry are the National Diploma in Forestry offered by the Central Forestry Examination Board for experienced forestry staff and the Institute of Chartered Foresters which offers chartered status by examination to foresters with two or more years experience in approved practice.

The duties of this post require that applicants hold a full driving licence that enables them to drive in the UK. However, the Forestry Commission is willing to consider any proposals put forward by disabled applicants, whose disability prevents them from driving, that would allow them to do the job by another means.

New Forest Officers usually start their careers at Pay Band 5 level as Technical Managers/Supervisors in Forest Enterprise, with responsibility for planning and controlling forest operations and for the protection of the forest environment. Exceptionally you may be assigned to the Forestry Commission in Conservancies/Regions to provide advice and support to woodland owners on forestry grants and management plans, or to more specialised work eg with our Forest Research Agency. In all cases Forest Officers are responsible for maintaining good relations with neighbouring landowners and with individuals who wish to use the forest for sport or recreation.

Where can I find out more?

Vacancies are filled through competitions which are advertised in the national press and which involve the use of Assessment Centre techniques – group exercises, presentations etc as well as interviews.

Diploma and equivalent courses are available at The National School of Forestry, UCLAN, Newton Rigg, Penrith; the Scottish School of Forestry, Inverness and the Sparsholt College, Winchester.

The National School of Forestry and the Scottish School of Forestry have arrangements for part-time students to undertake a combination of in-service training and the CGLI or SCOTVEC block release courses. Block release courses are also available at Sparsholt College.

If you are interested in diploma courses, you should make direct contact with the College of your choice.

BSc degree level courses in forestry or forestry related subjects are available at the Universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh and the University of Wales, at Bangor. Further information about the content of courses should be obtained direct from the Universities.

Post graduate courses in forestry (MSc, MPhil and PhD or DPhD) are available at these Universities and at the University of Oxford.

You will be given every opportunity for training and personal development and all jobs in the Forestry Commission are open to anyone depending on skills and experience.