Kirsty works as a forest craftsperson for Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) in Lochgilphead. FLS is the government agency responsible for the land management of the public estate through sustainable timber production, promoting amenity, and enhancing biodiversity.
“I started working for FLS in January 2024 as a craftsperson Modern Apprentice. I came from a background of outdoor education, and I’d been working as an outdoor instructor for a few years before deciding to make a change and apply for the apprenticeship.
I have gained an SCQF Level 5 in trees and timber and had a really positive experience with the workplace learning style as well as a thorough appreciation of forest management and stewardship. The apprenticeship provides a deeper understanding of my role as a craftsperson. It has all the benefits of having a full-time job while giving additional opportunities for training and development and provides freedom to try out different functions within the company.
I always knew I wanted to work outdoors, but I didn’t know anything about forestry before my apprenticeship. I initially applied because I didn’t know what direction to go with my previous job, and FLS looked like it would provide continuous development opportunities.
Forestry is a sustainable industry. FLS is on a mission to provide home-grown Scottish timber while maintaining the public estate on behalf of the Scottish people. Maintaining and enhancing biodiversity underpins all the work they do, inspiring projects such as the Atlantic rainforest restoration, peatland restoration, and removing non-native species from areas of broadleaf forest.
Every day in my role is different. I primarily work as a member of a small squad of craftspeople and supervisors to deliver estate maintenance such as grass cutting, maintaining footpaths, ensuring car parks are well maintained and visitor information is clear and up-to-date. Winter tends to be more forest management tasks as planting season is late autumn into early spring, so jobs tend to focus on the establishment of a new crop and keeping forest roads clear of encroaching vegetation.
The most important skill needed for my role is an enthusiasm for working outdoors in any weather, as well as willingness to learn. All technical skills come with training and time.
The best part of my job is getting to be out in the forest every day. I take pride in a job well done, especially when it has a positive impact on the people accessing our sites. I love interacting with members of the public and hearing how the work I have carried out has improved their experience.
The biggest challenge I have personally faced was becoming a qualified chainsaw operator as you must be able to operate and maintain the machinery as well as have the technical understanding of how to fell trees safely. I overcame this through hard work and consolidation during the buildup to my assessment, and CPD after getting certified.
Other machinery I use regularly in my role includes a manually fed tracked chipper, grass cutting tools such as strimmers and mowers, clearing saws, and quadbikes. Forestry operations have been made faster and safer with the development of tree harvesters which have reduced the time it takes to manually process a tree (about 30 minutes) to only 30 seconds! Other technology and information which is key for the industry includes drones, lidar data and GIS mapping.
This role has given me the opportunity to experience living rurally on the west coast of Scotland. I have had to give up the convenience of living close to a big city, however I have exchanged that for being surrounded by natural beauty. There is a real sense of community, and I’ve had the opportunity to explore hobbies such as wild swimming, camping, and I joined the local rugby team.
If one of my friends was thinking about doing a job like mine, I would tell them the craftsperson apprenticeship is a great way to enter the industry, so long as they are willing to work hard and put up with the midges. In the future I would like to work in a more community-engagement oriented role. I am interested in overcoming the challenges of sustainable land management and finding the balance between social, economic and environmental goals.”