Stewart lives on the Black Isle and works for Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) in the north region as a forest crafts person apprentice.
“My job involves carrying out forest management jobs like planting trees, controlling unwanted vegetation, and maintaining visitor sites across our area, often using chainsaws, brush cutters and other tools both motorised and non-motorised.
The main priority for FLS is producing timber but we also promote the use of outdoor spaces for recreation, restore native habitats, promote biodiversity, and strive to give an example of best practice in the forestry industry.
Before joining FLS I did a BSc with merit in Veterinary Bioscience at university but didn’t end up enjoying the actual work. I have always been a keen outdoorsman and woodworker, and during my university course the highlights were the practical subjects where we worked with farm animals and wildlife. I’ve always wanted to have a job in the outdoors promoting biodiversity and progression so thought I’d change to a job that suited my hobbies and passions.
Just recently, I’ve completed a SCQF level 5 in Trees and Timber at UHI and I really enjoyed the college work that went along with the apprenticeship. It made me reflect and do further research on the practices that I was using in my job and gave me a structure to support my learning when just starting. The vast quantity of information that is presented to you, let alone all the acronyms that are used in the forestry sector and FLS, might otherwise have been overwhelming.
The most important part of my learning so far has come from colleagues and our squad and our line managers while out on site.
Doing an apprenticeship you get paid while learning, which has provided a bit of security as I changed my career path while also buying a house and getting engaged.
My role each day changes with the seasons. In the winter and spring we are mainly planting trees, which can be putting in conifers at a density of 2800 trees per hectare or planting productive broadleaves.
In the summer we are often respacing or removing unwanted vegetation and trees from sites to promote the growth of crop trees. Respacing is very satisfying and becoming an increasingly important skill to have, as it will allow the forestry sector to become more sustainable. By removing surplus trees and only leaving around 2600 trees per hectare, natural regeneration allows us to skip the ground preparation and planting stages of the production cycle. This saves money and has a lower impact on the soil and habitats that surround the sites.
Throughout the year we improve the infrastructure at visitor sites and complete any other maintenance jobs that might arise on land that we manage.
Run as a public corporation, Forestry and land Scotland contributes £1 million to the Scottish economy each day, supports 11,000 jobs, soaks up over 3 million tonnes of CO2 each year and hosts over 80 community projects with a focus on inclusive activities. As an individual, I believe that I play a small part in each of these, helping the overall company to achieve its goals.
You need a keen eye for detail to do my job as often we are working on sites that have just been planted, so the trees are very small and can be difficult to spot. If you are not careful you could damage the crop tree for the 70-100 years of its life.
Perseverance is also an important skill to have. Recently we took on a planting site where we worked for two months. This is not uncommon as forests can cover hectares and often the only way to get a job done is by hand tools.
The best thing about my job is getting to work outdoors all day every day, often in remote areas with amazing views and very few people around.
Wining the overall learner of the year at Lantra’s ALBAS was definitely a highlight of my time as an apprentice. This gave me reassurance that I do know what I’m talking about and that this career is a good match for me.
I count myself as very lucky to live and work in this area. I grew up on the Black Isle and have always said that I want to live and work here. Luckily, this apprenticeship came up and I was fortunate enough to get a place.
If anyone was thinking about doing a job like this, I’d just say do it! There will be a steep learning curve but it’s well worth it and will make you look at the countryside around you differently.”