Future Trees Trust and National Trust Welcome New Patsy Wood Scholar

Future Trees Trust and National Trust together welcome new Patsy Wood Scholar Ruaridh Phillips as a Forestry Technician, to help assist in the important work of both Trusts.

The Patsy Wood Scholarship directly encourages more young forestry professionals into much needed UK forestry management roles.

Find out about Ruaridh and his new job role in this Q&A:

What is your background?

I am a forestry graduate who has recently achieved a HND from the Scottish School of Forestry at UHI Inverness. My background is mainly in practical forestry work – tree planting, felling and nursery production. I have worked for various environmental and forestry organisations in the Scottish Highlands including Trees for Life, the RSPB, Highlands Rewilding and Forestry Land Scotland (FLS). My main goal currently is to move in a more managerial direction.

I’m especially interested in woodland creation, and how the UK’s forests will be managed in response to climate change.

 

Why did you decide to apply for the role at the Future Trees Trust?

Commercial conifer production is the focus of forestry in Scotland, so I wanted to gain a wider perspective on forestry in a different part of the country. Of special interest was how native broadleaf species might be utilised more readily, and disease-resistant trees might be developed. Change seems to be imminent in the sector and I saw this as an opportunity to work with an organisation taking a pro-active and forward-thinking approach. The charity’s work on birch especially piqued my interest, because this species is often undervalued.

 

What is your current job role at Future Trees Trust and what does it entail?

Work as a forestry technician with the trust has been really varied and interesting so far. Having only started in November under the Patsy Wood Scholarship, I’ve already been involved with laying out trials and supervising teams of tree planters for the Supersizing Broadleaves project, looking for hornbeam and beech ‘Plus Trees’ with my colleague Oliver Stock for a Seed Sourcing Grant (SSG) project, and collecting data from various research trials.

Future Trees Trust is also developing a forest management plan for a site near Uffington, which I’ve been lucky to be involved with. We have been on the road a lot; travelling between different sites across the country from Kent to Perthshire.

The role is split between Future Trees Trust and The National Trust, and I am looking forward to joining the ranger team at their Buscot and Coleshill estate during March.