Future Trees Trust is delighted to welcome Sarah Wild in the role of Researcher to the team.
Find out more through our Q&A with Sarah.
What is your background?
Academically, my background is in Geography and Medical Anthropology, though I have recently studied Arboriculture and am currently studying the MSc Forestry at Bangor University as a part-time distance learner. Career-wise, I spent seven years in Japan teaching English as a foreign language and 13 years at the University of Oxford in research project management. I decided to change career because I wanted to make a positive contribution to tackling climate change and felt that the Forestry industry would be a good way to achieve this, as well as providing interesting and challenging opportunities to widen my skill set.
Why did you decide to apply for the role at Future Trees Trust?
I’ve been aware for a while of the valuable work that Future Trees Trust is doing in promoting resilient, healthy and productive trees by creating genetically diverse breeding populations of native species, and my values very much align with its vision to produce quality timber that will lock up sequestered carbon for a long time. The role attracted me because it enables me to transfer my experience and skills from university research and build upon the skills that I have developed while studying the MSc Forestry at Bangor University.
What is your current job role at Future Trees Trust and what does it entail?
I am responsible for providing technical and practical back-up to the Head of Research, Jo Clark, and for designing, maintaining and assessing the field trials and seed orchards, as well as recording and analysing the data. I also support Jo in managing existing research programmes and developing new ones, and in communicating our research findings and best practice to our stakeholders, as well as to a wider audience. Fieldwork involves a range of activities, for example, marking out planting plots, planting saplings, measuring tree heights, and collecting scions from trees which will be grafted onto rootstocks and then planted out in seed orchards.