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Tilhill Forestry Continues Growth of Professional Chartered Foresters Status

Tilhill Forestry is proud to announce the achievement of 4 of its managers gaining their Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) Professional membership status in 2023.

Tilhill Forestry has more Chartered Foresters than any other private employer in the UK and actively supports staff in achieving chartered status.

The most recent cohort of chartered Tilhill Forestry staff includes Luke Cross MICFor and Ricky Dallow MICFor, in Wales. In North & Central England Area Manager Dylan Cammack MICFor and Senior Forest Manager Matthew Farrell MICFor also both achieved chartered status.

Tilhill’s Forestry Director and former President of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, David Edwards FICFor said:

“It is great to be the private employer with the most Institute members and Chartered Foresters. Institute membership is an important achievement for our managers. Tilhill Forestry actively supports staff members as they plan their route to becoming chartered.

“Chartered status demonstrates an ongoing commitment to continuing professional development and as a company we are delighted to have a further 4 Chartered forest managers in 2023 within our forestry teams.”

A huge congratulations to the continued hard work of our staff for achieving this status”

 

Dr Stuart Glen, Institute of Chartered Foresters, said of Tilhill Forestry’s staff achievements:

“It’s wonderful to see another cohort of forestry professionals from Tilhill successfully complete their journey to chartered status, and we look forward to continuing to support them throughout their careers. Tilhill’s continued commitment to the development of their staff is fantastic to see.”

 

Read comments from some of 2023’s-chartered members:

Luke Cross MICFor, Area Manager, Wales & Marches

 

Luke began working in forestry after completing a BSc in Countryside Management and MSc in Forest Management at Harper Adams University.

He worked for the National Trust for 3 years carrying out motor-manual forestry operations in a lowland woodland. Luke joined Tilhill Forestry in June 2018 as part of the graduate scheme as an Assistant Forest Manager and was promoted to Forest Manager in 2021 before becoming an Area Manager in 2023. With a non-rural background, Luke changed careers from plumbing to forestry and feels incredibly lucky to fulfil a life-long ambition to work in forestry.

Luke said:

“I can honestly say I’ve always aspired to be a Chartered Forester – it’s a demonstration of the high standards of professionalism and quality forest management we all work tirelessly to deliver – during my career shift I thought it was a far distant dream. Then before you know it, you’re sitting in front of the panel debating the industry. The journey to chartership is, in essence, part of the day job as we all live and breathe forestry, however, we’re very lucky to have the full support from Tilhill Forestry, not only financially but given time to grow and meet the standards of becoming a fully chartered forester with the ICF.”

Ricky Dallow MICFor, Area Manager, Wales & Marches

 

Ricky started with Tilhill Forestry on the graduate scheme in June 2018 after completing a BSc in Physical Geography at Aberystwyth University and an MSc in Forest management at Harper Adams University. For the first year he was working with the North Highland team in Inverness. He later transferred to the Wales and Marches region and is based in the North Wales office, assisting the team, supervising forest operations, submitting grant applications and compiling budgets and reports. Ricky was promoted to Area Manager in 2023.

 

He is thrilled to achieve chartered status.

 

Dylan Cammack MICFor, Area Manager, North West England

Dylan gained his Arboriculture degree at the University of Central Lancashire and worked for Tilhill Forestry in Wales before joining the North and Central England team as a Forest Manager.

He was recently promoted to Area Manager in 2023, and works out of the Kirkby Lonsdale office, managing a team looking after commercial forests throughout the Yorkshire Dales, Lancashire, and Cumbria.

He is proud to have become an ICF Chartered Forester with practical and theoretical knowledge of forestry and arboriculture, including the development of new woodlands, harvesting and restocking of sites.

Dylan manages both large scale conifer plantations and mixed broadleaf woodlands whilst working on securing new business contracts.

 

Matt Farrell MICFor, Senior Forest Manager, North & Central England

 

Matt is a Chartered Forester and graduated from Bangor University with a BSc Hons in Forestry. Prior to joining Tilhill Forestry in 2012, he worked in the forest nursery industry, including at Maelor Forest Nurseries, part of BSW Group giving him a rounded knowledge of tree production from seed to harvesting. Matt joined the company through the Tilhill Graduate Scheme and has progressed to Senior Manager in the Northwest Office.

Covering Lancashire, Greater Manchester, and the Yorkshire Dales, he manages a forest portfolio of commercial conifer forests and mixed estate broadleaf woodlands for various clients. He also manages fixed price contract works for new and existing clients. Matt has extensive knowledge in forest establishment and maintenance, harvesting supervision and woodland silviculture.

Matt is an UKWAS auditor and undertakes audits across Tilhill Forestry’s certification scheme to ensure compliance with woodlands to UKWAS and other associated forestry standards.

Matt said: “Support from colleagues who are chartered and have been through the process has been invaluable in achieving my Professional membership status. The critical analysis component is a great opportunity for self-reflection and an honest analysis of a project and the learning points.

“Achieving chartered status reinforces the experience and knowledge I have gained, and I am glad I persevered with it.

 

 

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