Forest Management with Integrated Foundation Year

Are you driven to shape and save the future of our environment and tackle important critical issues? Learn from world-leading experts how to work with nature, not against it, on our forest management course.

Course Overview
On this degree, you’ll study the management of woodlands and forests for commercial, recreation, and conservation. Your course will include modules on silviculture, woodland ecology, forest health, and forest management planning. Practical hands-on experience backs up theory and there will be opportunities to study in a wide range of forest environments, from ancient semi-natural woodland to plantations. In addition, you will have the opportunity to take a one-year work placement in a related profession, bolstering your confidence and putting your knowledge into practice in the real world. You’ll be well placed for a career as a professional forest manager both at home and overseas.

Your foundation year will be spent developing your base knowledge and wider understanding of forestry and conservation at Carlisle. After this you will join us at the National School of Forestry in Ambleside.

On This Course You Will...

• Have easy access to local woodlands giving you the chance to explore different forest types and the ecosystems they support.

• Be taught by tutors who have worked as professional foresters and researchers who bring their first-hand experience and knowledge to their teaching.

• Experience hands-on forestry frequently, thanks to our practical-focused approach.

• Benefit from the links the National School of Forestry has with industry, with placement opportunities and a variety of field visits throughout the UK.

You will get a firm grasp of the fundamentals of international business and communication in small, medium, and large organisations with sound knowledge. But you won't just learn theoretically about business - you'll be doing it. Our innovative teaching can bolster your international business practice - and especially cross-cultural boundaries - because you'll find yourself leading a lecture, or turning the classroom into a boardroom, giving you every opportunity to build your business confidence
Our National School of Forestry, based in the iconic Lake District National Park at Ambleside is the ideal place to explore the science and practice of managing forests. Our course is accredited by the Institute of Chartered Foresters, the forestry sector's professional body, and will teach you about the management of forests and woodlands for commercial, recreation, and conservation objectives.

You will learn to apply such principles and processes to the sustainable management of woodland multiple goods and ecosystem services (for example, protection of soil and water, and recreation). . You will learn how to conduct research monitoring changes in forest condition, health and carbon capture, as well as acquiring skills at describing tree and forest types and the ecological systems and processes that they support.

Year One

• Essential University Skills 1
• Essential Biology
• Scientific Investigation
• Essential University Skills 2
• Environmental Sciences
• Dynamic Earth

Year Two

• Introduction to Managing Trees, Woods and Forests
• Measuring Trees and Forests
• Silviculture
• Woodland Ecology
• Wood Utilisation and Processing
• Forestry Fundamentals
• Practical Forest Skills

Year Three

• Geographic Information Systems
• Research Methods and Data Analysis
• Managing Forest Operations
• Forest Policy and Governance
• Forest Health and Protection
• People & Forests

Year Four

• Forest Plan
• Dissertation
• Advanced Silviculture
• Business Skills
• Woodland Conservation (Optional)
• Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing (Optional)
• Climate Smart Forestry (Optional)

Although most assessments are individual, there will be opportunities for group-working, particularly in outdoor practical sessions where data is collected. This will help you develop collaborative and organisational skills ready for the workplace.

Throughout the programme, you will undertake a number of assessments, both practical and theoretical. This will allow you to practice key skills and attributes that feed into your future employability.

Examples of assessment types include:

• Creating fieldwork and laboratory reports, particularly making use of primary field notebooks;
• Writing essays or reports;
• Critically analysing ‘real life’ case studies;
• And Role-play to simulate real-world situations in the field and classroom.