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Regulations and Incentives Support Officer

Job details
Posting date: 05 July 2024
Salary: £31,175 to £32,476 per year
Hours: Full time
Closing date: 14 July 2024
Location: York
Company: Government Recruitment Service
Job type: Temporary
Job reference: 360256/1

Summary

The Forestry Commission are the Government's forestry experts, and facilitate the protection, improvement, expansion and connection of England's trees, woodlands and forestry sector. Never has there been a more important time for trees and forests to help tackle the climate emergency and provide a much-needed sanctuary for people and wildlife.

The Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission have setup a joint tree planting programme for England to support the forestry sector, landowners and communities in the delivery of the UK’s woodland creation ambitions.

If you are passionate about the role of forestry in creating a better future for England, and want to play a key part in realising that, we want to hear from you. By joining the Forestry Commission, you will become part of a team of passionate, committed colleagues, and be able to build on a wealth of expertise to take this ambitious work forward. You will be able to make your mark by helping the Forestry Commission to revolutionise how we work together and reach new stakeholders. Our staff engagement levels are consistently well above the Civil Service average and staff turnover is well below. We value our people, we look after them, and we will look after you. We hope you will join us for the challenge.

The Yorkshire and North East Area contains over 212,000 hectares of woodland ranging from important habitat networks of Ancient Woodlands through to large productive conifer forests. In the North East the predominant woodland type is conifer (64.5%) whereas in Yorkshire and the Humber broadleaves form the most significant component (41.5%). This diverse range of woodland types extends over 4 National Parks, 3 National Landscapes (formerly known as Areas of Outstanding National Beauty) and through the urban woodland resource is also connected to Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle. The Area Team operates from the Defra Office (Kings Pool) in York and the Environment Agency Office (Tyneside House) in Newcastle.

The post includes the need to travel and will include some long journeys and overnight stays both within and outside the Area.

Have you always wanted to work outdoors in woodlands but haven’t got the necessary qualifications or experience? This is a unique opportunity for somebody who is looking to gain technical forestry skills. The Regulations and Incentives Support Officer is a key post, helping our Woodland Officers deliver their key forestry tasks, whilst also helping out the area team with organisation and administration. Over the course of the role you will be become familiar with the Woodland Officer role, with the long term view to completing site visits independently. This is an amazing opportunity for anybody considering a job working in the environmental sector.

Purpose of the Job:

Expand woodland cover:

  • Assist Woodland Officers in facilitating the design and delivery of new woodlands optimising the benefits they can deliver to the owner and as natural capital.
  • Assist Woodland Officers in the administration of the Forestry Regulations relating to woodland creation (e.g. Environmental Impact Assessments).
  • Assist Woodland Officers to administer/process applications for forestry grants.
  • Champion the multiple benefits of new woodlands as a business opportunity for land owners and as natural capital (including biodiversity, water quality, flood management, carbon sequestration, etc) for the wider environment and society.

Protect our existing trees and woodlands:

  • Support Woodland Officers in the administration of Forestry Regulations:
  • Forestry Act – Felling Licences,
  • Environmental Impact Assessments – deforestation, forest roads and forest quarries, and
  • Habitats Regulations – forest operations within Special Protection Areas, Special Areas of Conservation, and Ramsar sites to ensure that forestry operations are planned and carried out in accordance with the principles of the UK Forestry Standard;
  • Advise on the links with other legislation such as those pertaining to European Protected Species.
  • Help Woodland Officers administer tree health grants and Statutory Plant Health Notices.

Improve the condition and resilience of our existing woodlands and wider treescape:

  • Champion the benefits of actively managed woodland.
  • Support woodland owners and managers in responding to key challenges of pests and diseases including: ash dieback, Phytophthora ramorum, deer and grey squirrels.
  • Work to increase resilience within woodlands to the challenges of a changing climate.
  • Facilitate closer working across the forestry sector – for instance between markets, contractors, managers, etc.

Engaging partners, stakeholders and the public:

  • Encourage, enthuse and support key partners and stakeholders to help facilitate the expansion, protection and improvement of our woodlands and treescape.
  • At shows and events, champion the many values of trees and woodland to the wider public helping them understand and appreciate the importance and values of active management.