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What could be better than working outdoors in the nation’s vast and varied forests, taking on challenging tasks, and making a tangible difference. Our Forest Craftspeople use their broad range of skills and ongoing training to directly shape the land we manage building the future for wildlife, for people and for the climate. The work is varied and would suit a person who is self-motivated, well organised and able to demonstrate initiative to undertake tasks in a safe and efficient manner.

You can expect to spend nearly all of your working time outdoors and will usually be expected to manage your own time to maximise efficiency and effectiveness.

Background

Forestry England is part of the Forestry Commission. West England Forest District is responsible for the sustainable management of over 38,200ha of the public forest estate in the west and south-west of England. The North of the District extends from woodlands just to the north of Shrewsbury, southwards to the majestic oak and beech woods of Savernake Forest in Wiltshire and south-west as far as Idless Woods near Truro in Cornwall. The District is managed from the District Office at Coleford, in the Forest of Dean, supported by 13 local Forest Beat or Recreation Hub delivery team members dispersed across the Forest District covering specific territories. These local teams are responsible for the delivery of agreed work programmes assisted by a team of business support staff.

The Forest of Dean is a historic forest with its origins as a royal forest pre-dating the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Forest has been historically isolated and bypassed, sitting as it does between the Rivers Severn and Wye, on the border of England and Wales. The Forest has long been used for its timber as well as its rich mineral resources of iron ore, sandstone and coal. While the industrial nature of the Forest was at its height during the late 19th and early 20th Century, quarrying of stone and timber production are still important aspects of the local economy today.

The East Dean team cover the central and eastern side of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire and are based at the main office in Coleford. The Beat is led by a Beat Forester supported by a team of eleven staff who are responsible for all aspects of woodland management, timber sales & contract management, community engagement and wildlife management.

We are recruiting for two jobs, a permanent Forest Craftsperson and a fixed term (12 month) Forest Craftsperson, the fixed term role is to cover for a member of the team who will be on secondment for the same period.

The role of the Forest Craftsperson will be to support the Beat Forester in shaping the land we manage by using their broad range of practical land management skills. The work is varied, requires self-motivation, organisation and initiative to safely and efficiently undertake practical tasks including:

• Restock and establishment work - hand planting, tree guard construction, repairing fences and controlling vegetation
• Tree clearance and maintenance - high pruning, cutting back and tree felling
• Tree safety work – surveys, erecting safety signage and safety fencing

The work forms a key part in protecting and enhancing the forest landscape we look after. It can be physically challenging, and you will be working outdoors in all weather conditions using a variety of equipment including vibrating tools. Appropriate on the job training and formal qualifications as well as Personal Protective Equipment will be provided.

The Forest Craftsperson will be responsible for ensuring that work undertaken meets contract requirements & industry standards, satisfies the relevant health & safety standards, is completed on time whilst satisfying the requirements of the business & responding to local stakeholders as work programmes are developed & delivered.

Key work areas

Operational Responsibility

• Tree survey work related to the management of potentially hazardous trees.
• Estate maintenance work such as high pruning operations to maintain access and the management or clearance of trees or other vegetation.
• Support the forest establishment work, by hand planting, tree guarding, fence repairs and maintaining newly planted areas by controlling competing vegetation by machine or by hand.
• Undertaking stocking surveys
• Ensure the effective delivery of work programmes.
• As required, gather operational data accurately and efficiently and maintain appropriate up to date records to the standard required.

Stakeholder Engagement, Representation and Communications

• Through effective liaison with other staff and stakeholders, plan, implement and deliver efficient work programmes that satisfy the aims of Forestry England.
• Engage proactively and respond constructively to existing and prospective customers and present the highest standards of professionalism when representing Forestry England in the marketplace.

Health and Safety

• Ensure that all work programmes undertaken meet appropriate standards of health and safety, operational efficiency and quality of output.
• Support the work of the Beat Forester to ensure harvesting sites are compliant and safe, by erecting signage, relocating of herras fencing, carrying out banksman duties and traffic management.

Person Specification – we are looking for practical people with a passion for woodlands and forests who have:

Essential Experience:

• Experience of working in a forest or equivalent land-based environment.
• Awareness of Health & Safety in the workplace.
• Ability to work effectively both alone and as part of a team.
• Good numerical and written communications skills.
• Basic computer skills

Desirable Experience:

• Experience in fencing, planting and weeding.
• NPTC or equivalent certification in chainsaw use.
• Strimmer & Brush cutting certification.
• Experience in timber measurement.

As we have two posts we are recruiting for and one is permanent and the other is fixed term, the candidate who scores highest at interview will be offered the permanent role and the fixed term role will be offered to the second highest scoring candidate.

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• On the day of the interview, candidates will be asked to carry out a practical task that is relevant to the role.

• A great environment with flexible working options and a range of family friendly benefits;
• Generous annual leave allowance of 25 days on entry increasing by 1 day each year to a maximum of 30 days (pro rata based on part time hours). After 20 years’ service you will receive a one-off award of 5 extra days’ holiday. On top of this, you'll receive all public holidays plus an additional 2.5 ‘privilege’ days (pro-rata for part time);
• A Civil Service pension, with the opportunity to choose from two pension schemes, one Career Average (Alpha) or a Defined Contribution Scheme (Partnership). If you join the Civil Service Career Average Scheme, we will contribute at least 26% of your salary towards your pension membership every month. Further details can be found at Civil Service Pensions;
• A range of wellbeing benefits, including access to an Employee Assistance Programme 24/7, Bike to Work Scheme plus many more;
• A culture which promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment;
• Free parking at Forestry England sites and free entry to our National Arboretums; and
• Three paid volunteering days per year (pro-rata for part time).

• Learning and development tailored to your role;
• Continual Professional Development: support for individual learning plans and sponsored membership of professional bodies (such as the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management);
• 5 dedicated learning days a year (from e-learning to traditional training, team activities to coaching and shadowing), to target the skills you need to take your career forward;
• Civil Service Learning (CSL) online platform provides access to a host of high quality training courses on a variety of useful and relevant subjects; and
• Dedicated Technical Training in support of our operational functions, ensuring that keeping people safe is central to everything we do.

Job contact :

Name :
Stewart Cooper
Email :
[email protected]

Recruitment team

Email :
[email protected]