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Agroforestry Systems and Practice

"The site visits were very beneficial to me. I enjoyed the lectures, they were very interesting and informative. Lots of discussions were encouraged."

"Bid Webb always made time to provide me with feedback and support. She provided excellent communication and this really helped me engage with the content. I have really enjoyed her lectures and the other lecturers on this course. The readings lists were also great."

"I found the field trips extremely useful - seeing theory in practice really cemented knowledge for me."

“The Module was exceptional - very informative and well organized. It was very valuable for my current job. Learning about ecological interactions helps us to take life as a holistic system and not an island.”

Global Food Security

"I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion posts on the blackboard. They were interesting and got to learn a lot about food security aspects in different countries. The group presentation helped to improve communication skills."

"Well organised and interactive."

Forest Management Planning

"This has been one of the most engaging and useful to the real world, modules I have undertaken here at ������ϲʹ�������. I found it all engaging, valuable and has engrained knowledge that I won't be forgetting in a hurry."

"I learned a lot of practical skills in this class which are transferrable to future jobs, such as ArcGIS, forest yield calculations, crafting a management plan, etc.. I really enjoyed the two site visit days to Braichmelyn."

“The training in planning and GIS software alone was worth the whole cost of the degree.”

Forest Ecosystems

"The module handbook was very useful, and the self-assessment questions were a great help in directing/focusing reading."

"I thought the topics were taught within the module were clearly laid out and followed a logical pattern. I found the lectures very informative and I feel like I learnt a lot this module. Thanks Andy!"

"Content very interesting and comprehensive. Picked up some very valuable self directed learning skills!"

“Self-assessments and model answers were very useful. Feedback and comments from [the teaching staff] were very beneficial.”

Forest Inventory, Assessment and Monitoring

"The skills learned are genuinely valuable and applicable to a career in forestry."

“I loved the practicability of this module. I really enjoyed doing the inventory, even though it had a number of challenges.”

“I gained a lot of new skills regarding data collection, data analysis and data interpretation of forest inventory results.”

Forest History, Policy & Management

"The discussion forums were an excellent way to get to know the group, gain some confidence with academic writing standard and research in manageable chunks."

"I really loved the module, and especially enjoyed preparing the summative assessment. I really like the original and refreshing way the module was organised, presented and assessed. The reading was really interesting."

"I found that the module provided a great précis to issues covered in the course as well as adding context in terms of their story and policy."

Fundamentals of Soil and Water

"Despite being a distance learner, I still feel I benefitted from the practical aspects - seeing videos of what the in-person students were up to was really helpful, as were the pre-recorded videos."

"Even though SWAT and QGIS were difficult to understand, I believe they will help in further studies and future employment. I can say that after two reports, my academic writing has improved and also the reading skills."

Natural Resource Management

"I really appreciated the time Tim took to speak with me about the first assignment. He was very approachable and made the expectation of the assignment very clear. I also really enjoyed the content around soils, local knowledge and participatory biodiversity evaluation (particularly because there was a lot of real case study examples, making the information easier to understand and relate to)."

"I can see that the learning on ecosystem services and NRM modelling will be practically useful in future employment, and I appreciated that we were able to focus our assignments on specific areas of interest to us."

“The lecturers have all provided very varied experienced views on the interdisciplinary nature of natural resource management. As someone who has come from a very forestry focused background (mostly), I have found this broadening of thinking and approach very useful and actually quite inspiring.”

Silviculture

"I found the lectures very informative, and accessible even for someone completely new to forestry. The lecturers were easy to contact and got back to me promptly. The amount of reading suggested and visuals of the presentations were helpful."

“I particularly liked the group seminars because this is the part of the module which was most interactive and concepts were discussed exhaustively.”

"Great introduction to forestry and silviculture covering a wide range of important concepts - as someone completely new to this field, I feel I now have a reasonable grasp of the 'lay of the land'. The group presentation was a great way to 'meet' other students, and without it I would have felt much less connected to peers."

“As a distance learner the most valuable part of the course was a well-structured blackboard site for the module content which made it easy to follow along with content around the rest of my life.”

Social Issues in Forest Management

"The module was fun, engaging and really interactive. I particularly enjoyed the poster assignment since it taught me a lot of technical skills which will be really useful for my future endeavours . All the assignments were great, challenging and fun to work upon."

"The effort put into the module was first rate. I also appreciated the guest lecturers and organisation that must have gone into that."

“I really appreciated the amount of work that had gone into creating the electronic reading list, making materials very accessible.”

Urban Forestry

"The discussions boards are an excellent platform and encouraged original and intellectually stimulating learning."

"The course was hugely informative & engaging - I appreciated the scope of the topics covered."

Every year, we hold a UK��Forestry Study Tour��for those studying on MSc Forestry and MSc Environmental Forestry programme, a��Tropical Study Tour, as part of the MSc Tropical Forestry programme and an AFFS study tour as part of our MSc Agroforestry & Food Security programme.

These are residential programmes, enabling students to visit a wide range of relevant sites, plus the chance to meet with fellow students, staff and a range of experts, including forest managers, research scientists, policy makers, non-governmental organisations and others.��

For many students, these are the most valuable and memorable part of our programmes, bringing a whole range of issues to life and providing vital context, background and substance to this fascinating subject area.

Tropical Study Tour

"The proposal writing, data collection and report presentation were most valuable because with the assistance of the tutors I have gained valuable insights on various data collection and analyses techniques that will be very helpful in my final year dissertation."

“To have the actual experience of tropical forestry instead of only learning it from books was really valuable to me.”

“I was very impressed with how this challenging and ambitious module was organised. It allowed students to put into practice what we had learnt in all other modules such as agroforestry, silviculture, and forest monitoring and assessment.”

“The group research was most valuable to me because I was able to interact with my lecturers and classmates from different parts of the world. This module helped me to understand experimental research and to collect data. I enjoyed talking face to face with my lecturers and discussing the challenges I faced as distance learning student.”

UK Forestry Study Tour

“I had a really wonderful time - and learned so much. The sites were so varied and fascinating. The people we met super interesting, and getting to discuss our thoughts with you guys, and the fellow students - really great. A really top trip.”

“It was great to meet you all, make friends and spend the week discussing all things forestry. And in such beautiful countryside!”

"Engaging with lecturers and fellow students alike really helped give the course content context and provided some valuable discussion opportunities."

"It really opened my eyes to the broad and diverse career opportunities and the endless questions that forests, trees and land use will bring up."

AFFS Study Tour

"Really enjoyed all the aspects of this module, particularly the trip itself. Excellent itinerary, found all the site visits really interesting, good range, and good agenda in terms of time at each visit."

"This is an extremely well run and engaging Module. The choice and spread of the systems we visited were very well thought through and allowed an insight into current and future possibilities. The energy of the tutors on the tour was spectacular and their commitment to delivering a worthwhile learning experience is commendable."

"The trip itself was outstanding: the sites visited were inspiring and the hosts were very welcoming and good about answering all of our many questions."

"I loved that I could conduct research that was personal to me and my home life."

"Conversations with supervisor were most valuable. Early group discussions were also helpful in shaping concept for research."

"The data collection exercise was a whole great experience especially during Focus group discussion. It was nice engaging different stakeholders in a discussion that led to very insightful outcomes for my current job."

"I really appreciated being assigned a supervisor early on in the winter term so that there was time to build that relationship and develop the project proposal with their support."

Here’s what some of our recent graduates have said about our forestry programmes.

Brian Mulenga Nsofu , MSc Tropical Forestry Graduate - 2024

"Being taught by you made me confident in my skills again. It has truly been an honour to be one of your students. Thank you for being such a great inspiration! You have a gift for explaining difficult topics well, and your passion made me enjoy it more!"

Yasmin Ali, MSc Forestry Graduate - 2024

"Thank you all for your support throughout my MSc programme and for the recent results letter. I’m thrilled with the outcome, and I truly appreciate the guidance and expertise you each provided along the way.����A special thanks to Dr James Walmsley for the opportunity to study at ������ϲʹ������� – I’m so grateful to have been part of the programme, which has opened doors to where I am now, working as an assistant forest manager."

Andy Bates, MSc Forestry Graduate - 2022

“Thank you to all the staff that have made this possible and supported me on my forestry journey! I have loved it and learnt so much!”

Monika Thaler, MSc Forestry Graduate - 2022

“Thank you so much!�� I have had such an amazing experience and met so many wonderful people at the university and as part of my cohort.”

Ed Adams, MSc Forestry Graduate - 2022

“I would like to express my gratitude for an outstanding learning experience. As a 'mature' student of 57, I can compare the faculty favourably with some excellent institutions.”

Barbara Hiller, MSc Tropical Forestry Graduate - 2022

“The special thing about ������ϲʹ������� distance learning is that it goes together with real-world university lectures. One has the feeling to take part in something that happens physically and not just virtually.”

Andrew W, MSc Forestry Graduate - 2021

Whilst on the course Andrew said "Now studying on my third module, this programme has shown me how open to reflection and debate the subject of forestry is. I have been encouraged to consider a wide range of views and to draw my own conclusions. The distance learning format is flexible and really engaging in a number of ways. I would highly recommend it to anybody looking to study forestry."��

Jeff G, MSc Forestry Graduate - 2019

“I'd just like to say thanks for running such a great course- I'd definitely recommend it. While the dissertation has been a struggle at times, I've really enjoyed the course overall and it's been great to meet a brilliant bunch of people and learn a lot.”

Jo Arponen, MSc Forestry Graduate - 2019

“I am so happy... thank you so much. I really could not have done this without the amazing support of you all. I have been truly grateful for all the support I’ve had when carrying out my dissertation as well as with all of the modules. Embarking on this MSc was a huge undertaking and I have learned an incredible amount. It has been an absolute honour to be a student of ������ϲʹ�������.”

John Cummings, MSc Forestry Graduate - 2019

"I thank you for the support you gave to me as a distance learner, especially the prompt and helpful replies to emails which is so important for those of us who are not on campus. I think the teaching, organisation and administration of the course are all excellent."��

Ben W, MSc Forestry Graduate - 2018

“I received my certificate yesterday. My sincere thanks for your help, encouragement, support and for the positive light you held my work in. It was a challenging 3 years but I am so pleased with my achievement: it is something I am tremendously proud of. It surpassed all the expectations that I held when I started out.”

Nabaghan O, MSc Tropical Forestry Graduate - 2018

“I would like to thank you for your continuous support throughout my MSc programme. I sincerely thank the entire team at ������ϲʹ�������, without which it wouldn’t have been possible to gain my degree.”

Mokete J B, MSc Tropical Forestry Graduate - 2018

“I humbly wish to thank ������ϲʹ������� for giving the opportunity to further my studies in this outstanding university. It has been my greatest pleasure being a distance learning student here hence I recommended it to one of my fellow colleagues who is now also studying at ������ϲʹ������� via distance learning. I would like to thank the staff of this best university, lecturers, staff, and all students. Above all, I would like to thank the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission for financing my studies since 2015.�� If it was not for their support, life could have been very difficult for me while studying.”

Rob R, MSc Forestry Graduate - 2018

“Thank you. Three years ago I started with absolutely limited knowledge of trees and no academic experience; to get a distinction is a real privilege and honour. I feel so very proud of myself and eternally grateful for your support and teaching. I will always look back fondly at this time as a steep learning curve but one where I was able to prove myself.”

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Ewen McGeorge, MSc Forestry student

Having completed an undergraduate degree ten years prior, which I enjoyed, but never found a career I wanted to head towards, I spent years working in hospitality in various cities around the UK, before I had the opportunity to move to New Zealand. While in NZ I was hired by a local arborist firm as a groundsman, which is where I discovered my love of working with trees, spending my days around experienced and passionate arborists. I then (2 years later) decided I wanted to find a career path where I could explore my new-found passion and knowledge for trees and woodland. I decided that working as an arborist might be a bit too physically demanding of a route to go down, as I’d be starting in my early thirties, so I wanted to find something else.

A friend of mine in the UK sent me a newspaper article about forestry in the UK and the skills shortage which the industry is still trying to tackle. In the article the ������ϲʹ������� Forestry (distance learning) master’s course was mentioned and after researching the course and having made the decision to move home to the UK I decided to apply. When I began the course, I was working in a factory in Glasgow whilst studying in my spare time, which was hard work, but manageable as the course content was engaging and interesting. One day I was scrolling indeed looking for work more relevant to my course and I saw the advert for a ‘student placement’ with . I was only a module and a half into the course, so I didn’t have much hope, but I applied and was asked for an interview and got the job. It turned out that they were seeking people with relevant life experience who were interested and passionate about forestry as much as any industry-specific experience.

Scottish Forestry is the Scottish government agency which handles forestry grant schemes, felling permissions and all other regulatory work in the sector in Scotland. The placement has been great so far at getting a broad knowledge and understanding of the forestry sector in Scotland, practical skills such as mapping, and understanding forestry practices from woodland creation to felling. My interview for the student placement took place immediately after the forestry field course led by James Walmsley, which set me up very well as it gave me a great understanding of the various stakeholders in forestry in Scotland as well as the UK Forestry Standard and the Scottish Forestry Strategy. I’m constantly meeting ������ϲʹ������� alumni in the forestry sector and the course is well known and highly regarded. It is tough studying while working full-time, but it is obvious from early in the course that if you are able to stick with it, there is so much great knowledge to be learned and it will set you up very positively for any and all kinds of work in the forestry sector.

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Benjamin Sheers, MSc Forestry student

I came to forestry after a brief spell working in archaeology and subsequently finding myself working in various administrative roles. I wanted to choose a new career path where I could work outside, contribute to the environment, and challenge myself both physically and mentally. Growing up in the Welsh Marches, I’ve always been at my happiest when out in the woods, and whilst researching higher education courses in forestry I came across the distance MSc in Forestry at ������ϲʹ�������. The course appealed to me because of the variety of subjects that it covered and the experience and credentials of the lecturers. Many of the people I’ve met in the industry have been alumni with fond memories of their time studying at ������ϲʹ�������. The flexibility of distance learning made it possible for me to undertake an MSc whilst continuing to work full-time. Most importantly, because the course had flexible entry requirements, I was able to demonstrate my commitment to the subject and secure a place on the course without having an undergraduate degree in forestry.

After beginning my studies, I sought out a variety of work experience opportunities, aiming to get as much experience as possible in both the practical and management aspects of forestry. Thanks to the regular emails containing job opportunities that are sent out to students, I became aware of the internship opportunities at the The Heart of England Forest is a woodland creation charity with the objective of creating a 30,000 acre broadleaf forest across Warwickshire and Worcestershire. As my primary interests in forestry are conservation and the management of broadleaf woodlands, the Heart of England Forest is an endeavour that I was eager to become involved with.

I was successful in my application, and since beginning my internship I have had an amazing opportunity to experience the practical side of forestry. I’ve helped with planting and restocking efforts; collected Wild Service Tree seeds for the Kew Wakehurst, Millenium Seed Bank Partnership, marked out compartments for planting, worked with volunteers and members of the public, obtained my CS30 and 31 chainsaw qualifications and been trained in first aid with an additional forestry element. The charity really invests in the professional development of staff and I’m working with a diverse team of foresters from a variety of backgrounds who all have a shared passion for forestry and conservation.

Beginning my MSc and the internship have been life-changing experiences for me. Being able to work in a field that I’m truly passionate about is incredibly rewarding, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the support and encouragement of Dr James Walmsley at ������ϲʹ�������, and Beth Brook, Will Taylor and Stephen Coffey at the Heart of England Forest. If anyone else is considering a change in career path, I strongly encourage them to do so. If you are passionate, motivated and open to opportunities, it is absolutely possible.

Comments from my manager, Stephen Coffey (Head Forester)

The Heart of England Forest is committed to addressing the skills shortage in the forestry sector, our intern and apprenticeships program goes some way to address this.���� We enjoy the diversity the program brings to our team and so far no two people have been the same.�� Ben came to us with a developing, but sound, theoretical knowledge of forestry with a need for practical skills to continue his career development and he has been an asset to the Heart of England Forest.�� His attention to detail has proved most welcome in the surveys he has undertaken and pieces written for out communications team. In the relatively short space of time he has been with us he has planted thousands of trees and helped lay out the planting areas worked on our wild service tree trial site. Other work has included selecting and tagging tree dedications, woodland access route inspection, providing team leader cover for volunteer groups, chainsaw and strimmer work and wildlife surveys. Throughout this time Ben has been inquisitive and eager to learn new things.

Blazing a new trail into the forestry profession

****��Following the completion of his internship which the below text relates to (summer 2019-2020), Jim Wright was then employed as an Assistant Forester by .�� Jim has since been promoted to Forest Manager and is enjoying his new career, contributing to the sustainable management of a wide range of woodlands and forests in South and Mid Wales.****

������ϲʹ������� student Jim Wright who is studying��MSc Forestry (distance learning), currently registered on the programme at��������ϲʹ�������, started the course in order to change career, after working in a variety of different industries.����His commitment to the subject has seen him secure a placement with a leading forest management company,��.

Reflecting on his journey into forestry and his placement with Pryor and Rickett, Jim Wright said “I found my way into forestry a little later than many via a varied path that included both hospitality and teaching amongst other things. I think this helped my initial forays to some extent, as I've not only felt it incumbent upon myself to catch up by taking every possible opportunity to engage but also picked up a number of life skills which I feel helped to make me attractive to Pryor & Rickett – most notably life experience, people skills and confidence.��

Thanks to the links that ������ϲʹ������� has with many forest and land management related employers, lots of opportunities are regularly circulated to current students and alumni.����Hence I made a number of applications and it wasn't long before I was invited to an interview in South Wales with Pryor & Rickett.��

Three months since I started my year as an Assistant Forester, I'm exposed on a daily basis to new and interesting ways to supplement and built upon my university studies. Contact with senior foresters, landowners, contractors and public servants in forestry has helped me understand and practice a whole range of skills that will give me a great foundation on which to build my forestry career.

The distance learning nature of ������ϲʹ�������'s MSc Forestry degree really made this opportunity possible.����I am writing this at my desk in the office in Brecon, having just spent a day out on site surveying a new property with a colleague, where we discussed the possibility of integrating agroforestry systems. And what is my next university assessment..., to design an agroforestry system, as part of module focusing on��agroforestry!

I would encourage any students who have the opportunity to further their learning in a day to day capacity to have the confidence to trust that they can do it, no matter what stage of their studies they are at.����Go for it!”

Pryor & Rickett, Senior Forester Andrew Sowerby��, was glowing in his assessment of the work that Jim has done so far.����“Since starting in June 2019, Jim has contracted and supervised manual and chemical weeding operations. Surveyed planting sites to assess survival rates of tree seedlings. Supervised clear-felling, thinning and the construction of timber harvesting facilities through civil engineering. He proficiently assesses sites for important compliance regarding health, safety and the environment and records his finding digitally in iAuditor. His supervision work includes one thinning site that requires felling adjacent to a scheduled ancient monument with roosting bats, an involved community and technical tree harvesting of uneven aged trees in a recreation site. Jim is currently busy preparing for the winter planting season, when he will supervise restocking and woodland creation of over 200 hectares of woodland. Since starting in the role Jim has thrived in the complexity of modern forestry, enjoyed the freedom of 4x4 driving and distinguished himself as a thoughtful and committed Masters student of ������ϲʹ�������.”

James Walmsley, course director for the MSc Forestry (distance learning) programme and personal tutor for Jim Wright, added:

“Being able to help people live out their dreams is a real honour,��I’m really delighted that Jim has been able to secure such a great placement, truly bringing his studies to life.����There are consistently a number of ‘career changers’ who study with us and the part-time nature of these programmes mean that it’s no longer necessary for them to wait until they graduate before seeking out new and exciting employment opportunities.����I hope that this success story provides encouragement to other employers to also consider offering this ‘sandwich placement’ option, and similarly I hope it provides inspiration to current students that they really can make their dream of a forestry career come true.”