Estate Forester

**HAREWOOD ESTATE**

**JOB DESCRIPTION**

**ESTATE FORESTER**

**Background**

The Harewood Estate spans some 4000 acres and lies nestled between Leeds and Harrogate, set in the sweeping Yorkshire landscape designed by Lancelot "Capability" Brown 250 years ago. Recent years have seen a major overhaul of the directions and operations at Harewood to ensure they continue to protect their past while also staying relevant for the future.

The Estate now has an increasingly diverse range of business interests including commercial units, residential properties, holiday cottages, arable and livestock farming, forestry, renewable energy generation, food production and hospitality.

Harewood has made great strides to become a leisure and lifestyle destination, undertaken extensive works to refurbish many Listed buildings and recently started a major 10-year landscape and heritage restoration and regeneration project (probably the biggest intervention since Brown’s time). The latter is funded via a Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship Scheme, which will restore damaged and degraded historic structures, ecosystems and natural processes, create new habitats, encourage greater biodiversity and enhance natural capital functions.

Most works are delivered by an inhouse Estate team, who are self-motivated, inspiring, skilled and dedicated people with a passion for Harewood, the environment, conservation and the outdoors. They want to play a part in initiatives that protect the Estate’s Listed buildings and features while also finding solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises that result in improved landscapes for future generations.

**The Role/Job Purpose**

Harewood has over 800 acres of woodland, including around 150 acres of Ancient Woodland sites, which contain hundreds of ancient and veteran trees, some of which can be traced back to medieval times. The Forestry Department is made up of a small, skilled team who undertake a wide variety of works across the Estate. These are primarily focused on delivery of our 10 year Woodland Management Plan, however tasks can include overlap with wider Estate works such as grounds and livestock too.

An opportunity has arisen for a Forester to join the team to support this work, with a particular focus on tree inspection, health and safety works and dealing with fallen trees. The nature of the work will require the employee to work outdoors in all weathers. The job is physically demanding and requires the incumbent to be physically fit and in full health. Ongoing medical issues should be highlighted before employment is offered to facilitate any future needs that need to be catered for the employee to carry out their role to the best of their ability. The role will report to the Forestry Foreman and Estate Manager.

Key Responsibilities
- Design and undertake tree health and safety surveys which assess, record and report on risks and management proposals. These are particularly focused around areas of high public use such as along public rights of way, highways, tracks and event areas.
- To operate and maintain forestry machinery with proper regard to safety regulations in accordance with health & safety procedures.
- Assist with safe clearance of fallen trees, often resulting from storm damage.
- Assist with extraction and forwarding of timber from around the Estate back to central locations where they are stacked prior to processing for chip or firewood.
- Assist with in-house woodland compartment maintenance, including thinnings, guard maintenance and removal, pruning, tree planting and re-stocking.
- Support conservation interventions such as invasive species removal, pest management and natural flood management.
- Undertake boundary management, including fence repairs and maintenance, clearance along ha-ha, gate repairs and hedge cutting.
- Involvement in a range of survey and data entry, e.g. for ancient and veteran trees, deer and squirrel impacts, biodiversity recording
- Support the creation of new woodland and wood pasture restoration via the planting of new parkland trees and scrub.
- Involvement in other land management projects to gain an understanding of all elements of work required on a diversified estate.
- Supervise forestry assistants, placements or apprentices and provide support in their learning and development

Skills and Experience Required

Essential
- Experience in a similar role of woodland or estate management
- Works well with a team in order to complete large scale projects
- Experience of risk assessments and adhering to health and safety requirements
- Self-motivated and able to manage your own time to deadlines
- Full, clean driving licence
- Lantra Professional Tree Inspection (PTI) qualification or equivalent
- Chainsaw certificates CS30 and CS31

Desirable
- Level 4 Certificate in Arboriculture
- Lantra or other qualification in dealing with uprooted or windblown trees
- Experience and certificates in Safe Use of Pesticides
- Experience