Job profiles

What do you like about your job? 

I love the variety of my job, the people and the places. 

Describe your job in 3 words

Engaging. Collaborative. Challenging. 

What does your role involve? 

A bit of everything, but I would say the main parts of my role centre around sustainable forest management, the Environmental Impact Assessment, grant funding and felling.

I work with both the public and private forestry sectors as part of the regulatory body ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and the UK Forestry Standard.

What does a typical day look like in your role? 

There isn’t really a typical day! Depending on what the priority of the day is I could be on site completing inspections related to grant funding, speaking to forestry agents about their woodland creation proposal in any number of beautiful locations, in a Teams meeting about a sensitive project, or reviewing grant applications, long term forest plans or any other number of things!

What is your favourite part of the job? 

The variety. People, places, work, motivations and ways of thinking about issues. It really makes the day interesting. I learn something new just about every day, whether it’s a process, history of a site, a new contact or technical forestry knowledge.

I always like to be learning something new, and Scottish Forestry really is a place that allows me to do that.

What are the best things about working for Scottish Forestry? 

How welcoming everyone is, having joined Scottish Forestry during the pandemic, I have felt as if I am part of the team from day 1. Due to the variety of the role as well as the projects in the sector, there is no mundane day! 

What did you do/work as before working with Scottish Forestry?

I worked for a forest management company.

What would you want someone to know that’s thinking of applying for a similar role?

It is one of the best career choices I have ever made, and I have made a few over the years. Having experience of both the public and the private sector helps give you a more rounded understanding of the sector and the priorities and motivations of both side of the fence.

You also get to visit a wide range of forestry projects and sites often in scenic areas, getting you away from your desk with a breath of fresh air, what’s not to love!

What do you like about your job?  

Getting more trees into the ground. I was inspired to join Scottish Forestry as I liked the idea of being part of a larger vision for Scotland. 

Describe your job in 3 words 

Analytical. Strategic. Forward-thinking. 

What does your role involve?

I do a variety of things in helping to manage private woodlands but I also work in woodland creation.

I look over proposed designs and I get out on site and see what they’re proposing is suitable for the site, but I also correspond with other professional stakeholders such as RSPB, NatureScot, local councils, SEPA.

It all depends on what’s on the ground really.

What does a typical day look like in your role?

In the office I send a lot of time reviewing proposed woodland designs and consider how the design will affect the ecosystems on site and the outlying area as well as how the design will look within the landscape. 

I review the Operational Plan and decide if the applicant has sufficiently considered site conditions and outlined appropriate operational planning. Survey work and consultation feedback should inform the design and the choice of species. 

We all also make an assessment as to whether appropriate amendments have been made to accommodate the findings of the survey work.

When I am out in the field I am considering the same aspects while conducting my own survey work. It’s important to get a feel for the area and reflect on how tree planting will affect the site when the woodland is established and in the future when it is more mature woodland.

Similar assessments are conducted when processing a Felling Licence or a Long Term Forest Plan but I spend a lot of time in the office as well answering general enquires from agents and members of the public. 

As authority figures within forestry we also respond to Alleged Illegal Fellings and concerns over diffuse pollution, loss of habitat or general poor forest management.

This also leads to time out in the field to determine if there has been some sort of violation of the UKFS and if so what mitigating measures should be taken to amend the issue and to safeguard the woodland area in the future.

What is your favourite part of the job?

I suppose the thing I like the most is the idea of getting more trees into the ground, but it’s particularly nice when you get presented with a woodland design that you approve of and you can see it through to fruition and see that area planted. 

What did you do/work as before working with Scottish Forestry?

My first degree was in English Literature so it’s been a bit of change coming over to studying forestry. I’ve only been doing forestry for 6 or 7 years now and when I was studying at college I did everything I could to get hands-on experience such as doing a bit of chainsaw work, tree planting, but mainly what I did before this was forestry mapping.

Is this your first role with Scottish Forestry?

Yes, I was an Assistant Woodland Officer when I worked in south Scotland but I got promoted when I came up here to Perth.

What inspired you to apply for your role at Scottish Forestry?

I liked the idea of being part of a larger strategy; a larger vision for Scotland. It’s up to us to inform the public and it’s good to be able to explain things and I find that a lot of the time people are happy as long as they understand what’s going on and the reasons for what’s happening be it woodland being planted or trees being felled.

So it’s good to be the public face of that and provide information for people. 

What are the best things about working for Scottish Forestry?

Everyone I’ve worked with has been really friendly and everyone gets on well. It’s nice to also have that support. To know that the decisions you’re making (if need be) do come with the authority and that there is people there to support you if you need it.

What would you want someone to know who’s thinking of applying for a similar role? 

This organisation definitely has your back with what you do because they are big projects that you'd be working on. Some of these areas are vast bits of land so I can for someone new starting or taking on the responsibility for processing applications for that area can be intimidating.

What do you like about your job? 

I enjoy using technology to manage Scottish Forestry's data, and being able to help others through my role. 

Describe your job in 3 words

Interesting. Rewarding. Map-based.

What does your role involve?

GIS is Geographic Information Systems - it’s any aspect of recording and analysing location-based data, so it’s about what happens where.

My job involves helping to manage Forester Web, which is our internal web map viewer, where staff can view spatial versions of our datasets like Forestry Grant Scheme applications and felling licence applications as well as data from other organisations.

I also look after ArcGIS online, our external map browser, our Native Woodland Survey of Scotland map and our Storm Arwen map. 

What does a typical day look like in your role?

It does vary quite a lot. I deal with queries from people about Forester Web; I help answer questions and resolve issues. I would maybe do some updates to one of our external web maps. I’ve also recently been working on mobile GIS quite a lot so

I’ve been doing training videos for staff too so yeah, normally different things happen each day. We’ll normally have a team meeting as well. It’s important to stay connected. 

What is your favourite part of the job?

Helping people. It’s really rewarding when someone comes to you with a question or a problem and you can help them.

What inspired you to apply for your role at Scottish Forestry?

It sounded like a really interesting role because it was doing some of the things I’d done in my previous role such as mobile GIS and web mapping and because I really enjoyed them I wanted to do more of those. It also seemed like a nice team as well.

What are the best things about working for Scottish Forestry?

The people because everyone is really nice. Everyone that I’ve spoken to and worked with has been really friendly and welcoming into the organisation.

I’ve learnt quite a lot about mobile GIS and online mapping as well because that keeps changing so even though I’ve done similar stuff in my previous roles, I’ve done a lot more in this role as the technology is updated all the time.

I’ve also learnt about the process of grant applications, felling applications and things like that, which wasn’t something I knew much about before.

Being around the different conservancies through doing mobile GIS training, I feel like I’ve learnt about what the conservancies do, which is rather nice too.

What did you do/work as before working with Scottish Forestry?

I initially studied ecology at Sheffield so I trained in ecology then worked in ecology for a few years, and it was through that that I found out that I really enjoyed the map and data analysis side of things.

I also worked for Forestry and Land Scotland with my job just previous to this one as a GIS Support Officer. 

What would you want someone to know who’s thinking of applying for a similar role?

I’d say go for it because it’s a really good organisation to work for.

What do you like about your job?

I enjoy learning about new mapping technologies and think one of the best things about working for Scottish Forestry is the staff.

Describe your job in 3 words

Maps. Trees. Future. 

What does your role involve?

I work with geographic information. A large part of my role involves digitising map based data and making it available for our staff and stakeholders.

I also get involved in quite a lot of projects where I can use my spatial analysis and programming skills to help deliver many of the requests that the GIS team receive.

What does a typical day look like in your role? 

There’s 3 of us in a similar position to me so first of all we check if anyone needs help. I might spend my morning digitising spatial data for Forestry Grant Scheme applications.

This can be complex and involves bring data together from several places. We've also been really busy on mapping Felling Permissions following recent windblow events.

In the afternoon, I may carry out some data management tasks, getting information ready to load up on to our Open Data portal that is available to members of the public.

What is your favourite part of the job?

I think working with people. Scottish Forestry is a great place to be because of the people. They come from different backgrounds with different experiences from different countries as well. The team here have been really friendly and supportive. Working here has given me a lot of confidence.

What did you do/work as before working with Scottish Forestry?

I was studying cartography (the technique of making maps) and digital maps at the University of Glasgow. After I got my diploma, I joined Scottish Forestry.

What are the best things about working for Scottish Forestry?

The people and development opportunities. 

I like the way my career has developed here. And also the variety of work. GIS is quickly developing and each year brings something more; different, and new that we have to learn.

What would you want someone to know who’s thinking of applying for a similar role?

Go for it. It’s a great place to work.

What do you like about your job?

I enjoy how his job gives me the opportunity to shape how woodlands can benefit Scotland in terms of access, health and recreation.

Describe your job in 3 words?

Partnerships. Advocacy. Communication.

What does your role involve?

I work with a range of partners advocating the health benefits of woodlands and forests and how they can improve people’s health and welling. A part of this involves representing Scottish Forestry on a number of external boards and forums such the Green Exercise Partnership and National Access Forum.

What does a typical day look like in your role?

The variety of the job ensures there is no such thing. One day I could be out at a hospital site viewing the developments of their greenspace improvement programme. The next day I could be involved in a big Teams meeting with researchers assessing the impact of our Woods In and Around Towns grant programme.

I also get involved in national recreation surveys and even get to draft answers for Parliamentary Questions.

What is your favourite part of the job?

I’d say being part of the new People and Communities team within Scottish Forestry. Here I have the opportunity to shape how our woodlands can benefit Scotland in terms of access, health and recreation – it’s a really exciting area of work. I also enjoy the variety of people and partners that I get to work with.

What did you do/work as before working with Scottish Forestry?

I managed the Exercise Referral Scheme for Glasgow City Council. 

What are the best things about working for Scottish Forestry?

Getting out and about throughout Scotland to see new forests and programmes, connecting people to their local woodlands. The organisation has always been supportive in taking forward and developing new areas of work.

This has allowed me to be involved with some unique and ground breaking projects, both in my current post and previous role in Scottish Forestry.

These have included the first natural play space in a school ground in Scotland, the Commonwealth Woods national legacy programme and helping to establish our Engagement programme.