My name is Hannah, I am 19 years old and originally from near a small village called Portmahomack in the Highlands, but now live down near St. Andrews in Fife on an estate called Balcaskie.
My job here as I am a rural estate student mainly consists of helping in the forestry department and learning from the forestry manager. I also help in the estate house gardens and on the farm. I have worked here for 6 months and have absolutely loved my time in all these departments.
Before getting this job, I was a full-time student at the Scottish School of Forestry in Inverness. I went there after leaving school in 2019, starting on the NC rural skills course and working my way up to HNC in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry. I am now finishing this course alongside my work at the estate.
I applied for this job as I knew I wanted to get out into the industry and learn in the workplace, so when I saw the opportunity, I knew I had to take it.
I always knew I wanted to work outside and be hands on and practical but never really thought about forestry until I went to a UHI open evening and got speaking to the lecturers at the Scottish School of Forestry. Since then, I’ve felt that forestry was definitely the right career path for me.
Over the year in Balcaskie, we will maintain woodlands, beat up and plant trees, prune the fruit trees in the orchard, mow all the lawns within the grounds and do general maintenance throughout the estate.
One reason I love this job is that every day is different, and every day holds new challenges for me to learn and overcome. I can also continue to study the theory side of forestry but also learn a lot more in the practical side too.
I am proud of being lucky enough to win the learner of the year for trees and timber at Lantra’s ALBAS awards 2023. It made me feel a sense of achievement for everything I have done and know that I am getting recognised for it.
One challenge for me was being a woman in a very male dominated industry. When I started at college, I was the only girl in my class, so I had to show I was equally as good as all the boys and made sure my voice was heard.
For anyone thinking about going into forestry as a career, just go for it. there are so many different aspects to forestry and different paths to go down. Some days can be hard, especially when you are out in all weathers but knowing you are making a difference is so rewarding.
Moving down to Fife has been the best decision I have made. I am making a good name for myself which helps me for getting future jobs. I am so grateful for what this estate has done for me and will continue to do while I am here.