Forest/woodland manager : Employers and vacancy sources

Over 30,000 people are employed in the forestry sector in Britain. More than 3,000 are employed by the Forestry Commission . Others work in private estates and the wood-processing industry, other forest management companies and timber harvesting companies.

The types of employers involved in forest management can be roughly divided into the following categories:

• the Forestry Commission;
• other public-sector employers such as town and county councils;
• charities such as The Woodland Trust  and the National Trust  
• private companies such as UPM Tilhill  and Scottish Woodlands  
• private estates which either employ their own staff or have contracting companies doing the work;
• contracting companies employed by landowners to provide a range of services and expertise;
• cooperatives formed from groups of landowners to provide management and marketing services;
• self-employed subcontractors who may work for any of the above employers at a pre-agreed rate.

Conservation is an increasingly important factor in forest management and there are a number of organisations, such as The Woodland Trust , involved with this work. Although volunteers perform crucial roles for such organisations, there are paid jobs open to graduates with suitable experience.

The growing importance of wood processing has led to more opportunities for graduates in forestry and related disciplines. Over 10,000 people are employed in this sector, which offers jobs with timber merchants, contractors and importers, and in sawmills, pulp mills, and paper and panel-board mills.

The recent change of emphasis towards multipurpose forests, the regeneration of native woodlands and sustainable forest management has led to several initiatives such as community forestry (see England's Community Forests ) and The National Forest  in the Midlands. Such initiatives have led to job growth in this highly competitive and multifaceted area. As global warming now has a higher profile on the political agenda, public funding has been put into tree planting - with tree cover having dramatically increased in the last decade, the number of jobs in the sector is set to increase.

Sources of vacancies

• Search graduate jobs on this site.
• Forestry Journal    
• Arboricultural Association  
• Countryside Jobs Service (CJS)  
• Arbjobs  
• Forestry and Timber News  
• Environmental Careers   
• The Green Directory  
• Forestry Commission  
• National Trust Jobs    
• The Woodland Trust    
• Local and national newspapers.

The Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) register of consultants and Click Forestry  are useful directories. Also use the Yellow Pages  for contact details of local woodland management companies and contractors.

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