The next generation of tree guardians | Policy Conference 2024

10 December 2024

Forestry minister Mary Creagh MP said the forestry and wood industry must “inspire the next generation of tree guardians” - which is being addressed in a number of ways, including the development of a sector skills plan for forestry.

“We need more young people in forestry training and more providers offering that training, and to address the issues young people have in accessing forestry jobs,” the Minister said.

Skills was a major topic for discussion at the first meeting of the UK Government’s Tree Planting Taskforce in November - the first time ministers from the UK Government and the administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland had come together in more than a decade to discuss forestry matters.

“Ensuring sufficient forestry skills is a UK-wide challenge, and we all need to work together to address the skills gap,” Mary Creagh said.

David Bole, the Forestry Commission’s Head of Green Economy and Skills, is leading a steering group developing a sector skills plan for forestry in England. He said: “We’ve heard lots about global expectations placed on forestry and to realise that, we need more people and more people with the right skills. That means about 600 new people coming into the sector every year to stand still - and our colleagues in Scotland think the figure is higher.”

He added: “We have a crisis in skills, with too many white, balding men of a certain age. We have a demographic problem.”

Mr Bole said establishing a new Professional Forester Apprenticeship had been successful, with 78 candidates currently doing that qualification, with the first cohort completing it in summer 2025. Also, 6000 people had done new short courses in areas including chainsaw use, pesticides and tree planting.