Forestry Commission Ecologist

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 252699**Salary**:

- £27,779 - £30,168- New entrants to the civil service will be expected to start on the minimum of the pay-band.**Job grade**:

- Executive Officer- Pay Band 5**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- FC - Forest Services - The Forestry Commission are the Government's forestry experts, and our role is to protect, improve, expand and connect England's trees, woodlands and forestry sector.**Type of role**:

- Environment and Sustainability
- Operational Delivery**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- North East England, Yorkshire and the HumberAbout the job

**Job summary**:

- Delivering ecological advice at the Area level to enable the forestry sector to expand, protect, improve, and connect England's woodlands and forests through:

- 1. Supporting the Area Ecologist on ecological issues relating to forestry and woodland protection, management and creation across the Area, particularly in relation to screening sites for suitability for woodland creation using remote and site-based assessment.
- 2. Advising the Area team in promoting and delivering sustainable forestry and woodland management schemes to ensure the Government’s woodland and tree establishment targets enhance biodiversity for woodland and non-woodland priority habitats and species.
- 3. Working with contacts across the statutory and NGO ecology and conservation sector to further the work of the Forestry Commission and assist collaborative working.
- This post is also supporting the England Tree Planting Programme (ETPP) and will help to ensure that the Forestry Commission’s commitments and responsibilities to protect and enhance the natural environment are met in delivering this programme.
- The successful applicant will have a passion for woodlands and forests and for the benefits to society, the environment and the economy that they provide. They will promote the environmental and other benefits that woodland creation provides and will provide ecological advice related to woodland creation and management.**Job description**:
Woodlands are a precious resource. Each year they produce over 11 million tonnes of timber across the UK, remove 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and attract 475 million visits from the public. They provide a range of ecosystem services including enhancing biodiversity, removing natural pollutants, natural flood mitigation and recreation, alongside supporting the rural economy. We are at an important time where woodlands are needed more than ever to help tackle the climate emergency and provide a much-needed sanctuary for people and wildlife. Our government are committed to creating 75,000 acres of woodland a year across the UK by the end of this Parliament. This ambition will contribute to meeting the net-zero by 2050 ambitions, and to government’s wider environmental targets.

The Forestry Commission’s Forest Services (FS) are the Government’s forestry experts responsible for enabling land owners and managers, businesses, civil society organisations, and local communities to protect, improve and expand England's woodlands. It achieves this through regulation, incentives and advice.

This role will provide ecological support to the Area Ecologist on a substantial and growing caseload of woodland creation schemes and proposals, to facilitate well informed and timely decision making that fully accounts for the existing ecological interest of both woodland and non-woodland (open) priority habitats and species and their potential for enhancement in line with the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan.

The main focus is woodland creation schemes (ETPP) but advice provision related to woodland management is also included.

The role will be managed by the Area Ecologist, Yorkshire and North-east England. The Local Partnership and Expertise Manager will provide the Confirming Officer role.

Location - this role can be based at Forestry Commission offices at either York or Newcastle. Blended working (spending some time working from home and some time from one or both of these offices) is also an option. Regular travel across the Yorkshire/North-east area will be required.

KEY WORK AREAS

**Provision of ecological advice**

Provide casework support to the Area Ecologist, particularly site assessment for woodland creation and management proposals, working with other Area team colleagues as needed.

Provide input to woodland creation and woodland management plan development, benefiting both woodland and open priority habitats and species.

Assist the Area Ecologist with:

- providing ecological advice on major infrastructure projects occurring within the Area e.g. road, rail, airport, energy and reservoir projects etc.
- Provide support on ecology across the Area team including in relation to Europe