Knowledge mobilisation and skills development in silvicultural science and practice to support adaptive and “closer to nature” forest management. Technical and applied courses designed to meet the needs of forestry professionals.
Overview
Productive forests in Britain and Europe are under increasing stress because of climate change and the impact of pests and diseases. To maintain functioning forest ecosystems, it is necessary to adapt forestry practices and increase their stability and resilience. This calls for a closer focus on individual silvicultural interventions at the forest stand level, supported within a policy framework that facilitates an adaptive management strategy.
Underpinning future developments in sustainable forestry is an urgent need for forestry practitioners with appropriate skills and competencies to implement robust and resilient silvicultural strategies and plans. Sound decision making and operational planning builds on a foundation of knowledge in silvicultural science. This programme of training and skills development, therefore, aims to provide practitioners with relevant information and skills, as well as strategies for stand prescription design and problem solving.
The Silviculture for Forest Resilience [SFR] Programme is designed in 5 modules that function as s series of individual short courses addressing major themes in the science and practice of silviculture. This programme is augmented by a 3-day short course in the key skill of “tree marking”. This is where decisions are made at the individual tree level and influence the future developmental pathway of a forest stand, which is essential for adaptive forest management.
Courses
- Each of the core modules will last 5 days and be based at a central location.
- Content will include relevant silvicultural science, case studies and practical exercises.
- Delivery will be a combination of lectures and field trips, and will use appropriate online tools and resources.
- Each course will have a problem-based learning activity that allows participants to work in small groups.
- Modules 1-4 will be themed and focus on specific aspects of the SFR curriculum. Arrangements are in place with local woodland owners and managers to access a range of sites in the Penrith area for practical exercises and demonstration purposes.
- Module 5 will serve as a “capstone” module that aims to be highly integrative and where the focus is on operations and implementation of innovative and adaptive silvicultural strategies.
- Courses are designed for forestry practitioners interested in consolidating prior knowledge in silviculture and developing new approaches to forest stand management.
MODULE 1
Silviculture 1 – Species, Soils and Site
- Duration – 5 days
- Location – Penrith, Cumbria
- Course Numbers: Maximum 12 per course
- Delivery Date: October 2024 (details TBC)
Content
This course focuses on the foundations of silviculture, which includes tree biology, applied forest ecology, and relevant tools and site assessment techniques for robust decision-making. The course will provide an overview of silviculture and silvicultural systems.
Themes:
- Climate and environmental threats to forests
- Tree growth and development
- Soils and site productivity
- Forest stand dynamics
- Site assessment and inventory
Learning Objectives:
- Scientific concepts associated with silviculture
- Scientific overview of climate impacts on forested ecosystems
- Soil and vegetation site assessment
- ESC and DSS – field-based and desk-based
- FDTs
- Introduction to different types of stand development pathways (silvicultural systems)
MODULE 2
Silviculture 2 – Establishing Resilient Woodlands
- Duration – 5 days
- Location – Penrith, Cumbria
- Course Numbers: Maximum 12 per course
- Delivery Date: November 2024 (details TBC)
Content:
This course focuses on the various strategies for establishing and regenerating a woodland. This will include new woodlands designed for multi-purpose and resilient forestry objectives, and especially woodlands that are intended to be management on continuous cover forestry principles into the future. Also the course will consider restocking and regeneration within existing woodlands, embracing natural regeneration, underplanting and species mixtures. Practical elements will consider planning; protection (tubes/temp fence and permanent options); design considerations for access for operations; wildlife management; nursery practice. The course will progress from Silviculture 1 and both reinforce and add new information.
Learning Objectives:
- Planning and design
- Ground preparation, identify appropriate techniques
- Drainage – assess, plan and implement
- Planting: methods
- Supervision of cultivation
- Supervision of planting operations
- Plan for protection in cooperation with wildlife management requirements
- Fencing and tubing
- Site assessment and monitoring of natural vegetation
- Plan methods of vegetation control (weeding, singling, herbicide use), including implementation
- Supervision and control of quality
- Free-to-Grow [FTG] – post-establishment actions leading to FTG status for a new woodland.
- Wildlife management – planning considerations and practical applications.
MODULE 3
Silviculture 3 – Stand Dynamics and Density Management
- Duration – 5 days
- Location – Penrith, Cumbria
- Course Numbers: Maximum 12 per course
- Delivery Date: February 2024 (details TBC)
Content:
This module focuses on the development of trees within forest stands from the point of establishment forward. Competition for space and resources and tree-tree growth responses will be considered. Also the effects of abiotic and biotic factors, including wind, climate, pests and diseases. In terms of future resilience, robust mixtures and strategies for diversification of the stand structure will be considered. This will be applied through a detailed review of alternative thinning strategies and pathways, while also considering timber quality, habitat and other aspects of forest development, including carbon sequestration and storage.
Learning Objectives:
- Forest stand dynamics – a framework for understanding the stages in forest development
- Yield Class, Stand Density Index and tools for assessing site productivity
- Assessing site suitability for a range of silvicultural systems
- Assessing wind hazard and risk, using site assessment and ForestGALES
- Thinning control
- Thinning approaches – Low, Crown, Intermediate, Graduated Density
- Tree marking – which tree to retain, which to remove, and when
- Timber quality – including pruning effects
- Mensuration and marketing of intermediate forest outputs
- Habitat and biodiversity attributes
- Managing thinning operations, site impact and damage limitation
MODULE 4
Silviculture 4 – Continuous Cover Forestry
- Duration – 5 days
- Location – Penrith, Cumbria
- Course Numbers: Maximum 12 per course
- Delivery Date: March 2025 (details TBC)
Content:
Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) is now regarded as one of the most important strategies for increasing the robustness and resilience of productive forests, in the UK, Ireland and across Europe. Significant research is now being invested in this area, which is rapidly emerging as an important area of professional forestry practice. This course will build on earlier material in the SFR Programme and develop the skills and strategies to implement practical CCF stand prescriptions. The course will be highly applied and include a range of practical skills and activities.
Learning Objectives:
- Theory and practice of CCF
- Inventory and site assessment
- Prescription design
- Tree marking and implementation of stand prescriptions
- Assessment of stand conditions for adaptive management
- Operational factors, including soil and site impacts, planning and extraction of timber
- Habitat and biodiversity considerations, including provision of coarse woody material, standing deadwood and other stand attributes for nature conservation.
MODULE 5
Silviculture 5 – Forest Operations, Marketing and Integrated Management
- Duration – 5 days
- Location – Wicklow, Ireland
- Course Numbers: Maximum 12 per course
- Delivery Date: March 2025 (details TBC)
Content:
This module represents a capstone for the SFR Programme. Here we will draw all the relevant information together and visit a series of woodlands in close proximity that are being managed on CCF principles and closely adopting current policies for climate adaptation and adaptive management. We will work closely with a forest manager and forest contractor who are recognised experts on managing stands at a range of stages in transformation to CCF. Also included will be operations planning, marketing of timber and wider social aspects of resilient forest management.
Course Leaders:
- Edward Wilson, Silviculturist
- Liam Byrne, Forest Manager and Forestry Contractor
- Rainer Wirz, Forester and Forest Business Manager
Learning Objectives:
- Planning in continuous cover forestry systems
- Forest operations – thinning and harvesting
- Machine selection and application
- Site assessment and surveys
- Woodland Improvement Grants for CCF
- Marketing of timber and other forest products
- Working with large dimension (over-size) timber
- Grading and quality of timber
- Contracts and supervision of operations
- Health and Safety
- Environmental protection
- Veteran trees, archaeology and biodiversity conservation
Technical Note:
It is proposed that the module be held in County Wicklow, Ireland because there are several productive conifer woodlands in close proximity with over 20 years of active management under CCF management principles. It will be possible to also demonstrate results from long-term research trials on early stage stand transformation using the thinning experiment at Ballycullen Forest. Liam Byrne and Rainer Wirz are internationally recognised leaders in the practical application of CCF and will be able to demonstrate active management of large forest blocks to meet multiple forest management objectives. The sites being recommended for the module have recently hosted the Pro Silva Europe Annual Conference and are set up for demonstration and training purposes.
Tree Marker Training
Early-Stage Stand Transformation to Continuous Cover Forestry
- Duration: 3 days
- Location: Penrith, Cumbria
- Course Numbers: Maximum 12 per course
- Delivery Date: September 2024, October 2024, February 2025, March 2025 (details TBC)
- It will be possible to add additional courses to meet demand.
Content:
The Tree Marker Training Course is an established short course that has been delivered 10 times in Wales and Ireland. The course involves both indoor and outdoor sessions. The key tool is a silviculture training plot, called a marteloscope. This is a plot (0.25 to 0.5 ha) where each tree is measured and scored for its economic, biological and ecological potential. Participants complete several exercises to learn the effects of alternative intervention strategies. There is detailed discussion and feedback using a results dashboard.
Learning Objectives:
- Site assessment
- Tree classification and quality assessment
- Rapid stand inventory
- Prescription design
- Low thinning strategy
- Crown thinning strategy
- Skills development in tree marking (2 in-forest exercises/case studies)
Additional Information
The programme is subject to adjustment and development to meet client needs.
Learning Resources. Throughout each module there will foundational information rooted in silvicultural science, linked to application and practice. The necessary resources will be made available to participants through workbooks and a detailed indexed bibliography. All scientific papers and materials used in the teaching will be made available.
Delivery Mode. Module delivery dates can be negotiated, but timing is provisionally set to avoid the worst weather and poor lighting conditions in December 2024 and January 2025. Ideally, the optimum timing for some of the modules is April, May, June, but this may not work within the scope of the funding. This is a question to be resolved through further negotiation and discussions.
Lead Trainer/Lecturer. All five modules are designed and delivered by Professor Edward Wilson MSIF FRSB, Silviculturist. Ted brings over 30 years of experience in training, teaching, research and knowledge mobilisation to these modules, which are designed to meet the needs of modern forestry professionals.
Pricing. Fees include all lectures, activitires, learning materials and resources. Full details are outlined through the Forestry and Arboriculture Training Fund website (below). Participatns are responsible for their own travel, food or accommodation costs.
Logistics. Participants are required to find their own accommodation and meals. The Penrith modules will be delivered partly indoors and partly in the field. Classroom sessions will take place in or near Penrith. A minivan will be hired for transport of the whole group for field exercises. Provision will be made for participants wishing to use public transport to attend courses.
Registration
Please contact Ted Wilson. Email: ted.wilson@silviculture.org.uk
Funding
Funding for courses is available from the Forestry and Arboriculture Training Fund. Please apply for funding through the Fund portal and then register separately here for events.
Forestry and Arboriculture Training Fund: www.forestryandarbtrainingfund.co.uk
