Tilhill Forestry’s Professionalism Steps up Further

Tilhill Forestry is proud to announce the news that another six members of staff have gained their Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) Professional Member’s status.

The Company supports the Institute and endeavours to see all applicable staff achieve chartered status. The company pays the membership subscription fee and supports staff members as they plan their route to chartered status.

Tilhill’s Forestry Director, Tim Liddon FICFor said: “Membership of the Institute has long been encouraged at Tilhill Forestry. Externally and internally within Tilhill Forestry, chartered status denotes an individual’s standing within the profession.  It demonstrates a commitment to Continuing Professional Development and a commitment to follow a Code of Conduct and I am delighted that we now have a further six professional forest managers within our forestry team. Many congratulations to them.”

Our staff also consider that achieving ICF status is a significant step up in their careers. Upon gaining his chartered status Byron Braithwaite, Forest Manager Central Borders said: “I am excited for the opportunities that certification will offer me. Thanks to the colleagues that supported me through the process.” 

In addition to Byron, Tilhill’s other successful staff were Forest Managers Andrew Fisher, Colin Corkhill and David Crozier, Senior Forest Manager Callum Nicholson and Head of Investment & Property Bruce Richardson. 

Dr Stuart Glen, Institute of Chartered Foresters added: “The Institute of Chartered Foresters is delighted with another record number of applicants promoted to Professional Member status last year. Chartered Status denotes standing within the forestry profession. It gives staff parity with other professionals e.g. Architects, Landscape Architects, Engineers, Surveyors, Environmental Scientists, Planners, etc., many of whom employees will encounter on a regular basis in day-to-day activities. This notion of parity and recognition across professions is highly important to many members.” 

Tilhill Forestry’s latest ICF Professional Members: 

Byron Braithwaite, Forest Manager 

Byron Braithwaite joined Tilhill Forestry in 2015 following the completion of his degree at Bangor University. As part of his degree he spent a year working with the Forestry Commission in Central Scotland and he completed Tilhill Forestry’s graduate programme. He now manages a broad range of forests in the Scottish Borders. 

Colin Corkhill, Forest Manager 

Colin Corkhill is based at Alton in Surrey giving him management responsibilities across a swathe of Southern England. He has been working in the industry for over 10 years, initially studying Lowland Woodland management at Sparsholt Agricultural College, where he was awarded Best Overall Performance by Royal Forestry Society.

Colin is thrilled to be receiving member status and of learning of his success said: “Becoming a Professional Member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters has been something I have aspired to since I began my forestry career with Tilhill Forestry back in 2011.  The recognition by my peers of my hard work and dedication to the implementation of sound forestry and silvicultural practices across southern England is highly gratifying.  This is truly the pinnacle of my career to date and an accolade of which I am extremely proud.” 

David Crozier, Forest Manager

Forest Manager David Crozier covers the North West of Wales, managing client properties. He holds a BSc Honours degree in Countryside Management from Harper Adams University. With experience working as an Estates Manager in Derbyshire, David has since developed an interest in forest diversification and adding value to commercial conifer plantations.

Speaking of his success David said: “Last year was a very big and crazy year for me – I had the letter through confirming my ICF status a few days after my son Bertie was born. It was a good week for me and the ICF news was the cherry on top!

“I consider that membership of the ICF is important because it’s a stamp of professionalism that demonstrates trust and competency for anyone with a chartered status. For me, personally, it was a huge relief to ‘get there’ after a lot of hard work and preparation throughout last year and I am proud to put the ‘MICFor’ letters after my name. 

“The promotion has provided a confidence boost and has cemented my position as a forest manager within Tilhill Forestry. Throughout the process Tilhill has provided huge amounts of support to get me to this stage, which would have been impossible without the experience gained in my role. I enjoy carrying out CPD events and networking that the ICF provides and I will continue to play an active role in engaging with the ICF community.”

Andrew Fisher, Forest Manager

Andrew Fisher, Central Borders Forest Manager is focused on commercial forestry management and large scale woodland creation for a wide range of forest owners, he was one of only two applicants this year to be presented with an Award of Excellence for his PME submission. 

Andrew said: “I am very pleased to have been promoted to full chartered status, it is the culmination of 5 years of hard work toward this achievement. Drawing on all my knowledge and experience gained during my time in the industry. Chartered membership of the ICF is the mark of professionalism within the industry, so I am very proud to have this against my name. Beyond that the organisation will offer networking, learning and knowledge sharing opportunities throughout the industry.

“I am very pleased and proud my work has been chosen for the Award of Excellence, even more so now I know there were only two issued within the 52 promotions!” 

Callum Nicholson, Senior Forest Manager 

Callum Nicholson, Senior Forest Manager, North Highland joined Tilhill Forestry in 2016 after seven years working for Forest Enterprise in North Scotland. He completed his BSc in Forestry and Conservation with distinction from the University of Highlands in 2016. Callum’s background is in forest establishment, maintenance operations, GIS mapping and the preparation of forest management plans for both commercial and native woodlands and he has been heavily involved in the development of SRDP woodland creation projects, with an emphasis on native woodland expansion. 

Callum said upon receiving the news: “I am delighted to have gained chartered status. It’s important to me as it demonstrates professionalism to both clients and colleagues. I see it as a very important achievement towards my continued development as a Forester, by attending thought provoking ICF events and having access to such a wealth of information and the opportunity to network with industry colleagues.” 

Bruce Richardson, Head of Investment & Property

Head of Investment & Property, Bruce Richardson originally worked in the financial services industry and afterwards completed a Masters degree in Forestry before joining Tilhill Forestry in 2012. Bruce supports both individual and corporate clients with property acquisition, valuation and woodland creation projects. He also leads on several projects such as the production of the annual UK Forest Market Report. Commenting on the recent promotion he said:

 “Coming into forestry as a second career it was very important to me to be able to provide assurance to my clients (and myself) that I can be trusted as a competent professional in my new career and that I am recognised as such by my peers.

“The demanding entrance process, the requirement for continuous development, all governed by a strong Code of Conduct, enforces this professionalism. Surprisingly, I found the entrance process itself was a confidence booster, as it gave me the chance to reflect on what I have achieved and see how far I have travelled since joining Tilhill Forestry.”  

Caption: Andrew Fisher, Central Borders Forest Manager