Hello! I’m Sam, Future Trees Trust’s latest Patsy Wood Scholar, and I’m thrilled to join this incredible organisation dedicated to sustainable forestry through making broadleaves the commercially preferable option for foresters. Over the next year, I’ll be splitting my time equally between the Trust and English Woodlands Forestry. With the Trust, I look forward to getting stuck into a big winter season of research ahead, before moving on to try my hand at managing real world woodlands with English Woodlands. 

Before entering the world of work, I completed my BSc Business Management at Swansea, before embarking on my MSc Global Sustainability Solutions at the Global Systems Institute at University of Exeter. I bring with me a year of practical arboriculture/vegetation management experience, as well as that gained whilst certifying sustainable forests on behalf of FSC/PEFC with the Soil Association. These experiences have given me a strong foundation for this role, where I’m eager to apply and build on these skills in support of Future Trees Trust’s mission. 

What excites me most about this opportunity is the chance to dive into research that will directly impact commercial forestry’s potential to positively affect our chances of climate change mitigation and adaptation. I believe that sustainable, commercial forestry holds enormous possibilities not only in sequestering carbon but also in fostering biodiversity and resilient ecosystems. Working alongside such a dedicated team of professionals and researchers, I’m excited to contribute to and learn from groundbreaking work that can help secure a sustainable future for us and our forests. This is a unique opportunity, and I’m looking forward to every step of the journey. 

Here’s to a productive, impactful year ahead with Future Trees Trust and English Woodlands Forestry!