Tom Bartlett - Forestry

How did you get into forestry?

I grew up around the Chilterns Hills in the south-east. My family ran a furniture company in High Wycombe called William Bartlett & Sons Ltd, until it closed in 2005. Regularly walking through beech, ash, yew and hazel trees, amongst others, it was not long before woodlands gave me a sense of calm. At the age of 24, I decided to go to university and my relatively short life experience led me to forestry at Bangor University. I am grateful that I went to university later than most, as I learnt where my interests lie and found something to suit.

What advice can you give for any students looking to get a placement?

I heard about the forestry placement at Savills through my university’s emails. A Savills forester gave a presentation to advertise the role, which was very informative and made the position more appealing. Be aware, the sandwich placement application deadline for Savills is several months before most others. I just made it! Therefore, my advice is to read the university emails; if you are on the fence about whether to do a placement, then act as though you are definitely keen to do one and apply to many, to give yourself more options.

Is it necessary to do a placement?

I believe it’s a combination of factors that makes a placement useful; how confident you are as a person, if you have retained what you’ve been taught so far at university and if you have prior experience within the industry. If the answer is yes to each, then a graduate role may be the better and quicker option to get you where you need to be. If not, then a placement is definitely worthwhile. Doing a placement has made me realise just how much there is still to learn when I go back to university and where I need to prioritise my learning.

What do Savills’ forestry team do?

We cover a diverse range of services. For example: the buying and selling of forests and woodlands; asset management and consultancy; forestry investment; forestry valuation and rural grants consultancy. I work closely with foresters, who specialise in forestry consultancy and management. It is an exciting team to be a part of, due to the variation of projects that they get involved with. With the resources and reputation Savills has, the incoming work is constant and Savills’ forestry teams are looking to therefore grow in order to facilitate this.

What tasks have you been involved with?

A wide variety of tasks, from stocking density assessments, coordinating and supervising contractors, ground truthing for a LTFP (walking ~300km through every woodland you can imagine was a personal highlight of mine), assisting qualified tree inspectors, timber mensuration and tariffs, felling applications, excel work, along with training, making maps, recruitment, harvesting operations, organising our teams plant order for the year, graduate training and being funded to attend industry wide events, such as the ‘National conference 2023: Connecting trees, farmers and foresters’ are just some examples.

What skills are important to have going into a placement or graduate forester position?

I believe having skills in relevant computer software makes your life much easier! Most notably excel and GIS software. It can be painful to learn, so make the most of being a fulltime student! Understanding this software, alongside knowing the relevant policy and grant schemes inside and out, gives you a really strong base. Clients and stakeholders are ever more interested in how the land is managed; providing visual and clear information can give you an edge, save your client money, and you a lot of time.

Going forward what do you think is important for the forestry industry?

More interest in the industry! With the UKs planting target of 30,000ha annually by 2025, plus an estimated 40% of our woodlands unmanaged, there is massive opportunity for good and fulfilling careers in the industry. We are very good at knowing what everybody is up to within the industry but not necessarily good at encouraging others outside the industry into it. Targeting and educating secondary school leavers is extremely important and is where resources and time should be prioritised. I do not remember a forestry section at my school careers fair. It is great to see apprenticeships on offer.

Where do you want to end up and what kind of forester do you want to become?

I would like to get as much cross-sector experience as possible. How I go about that, I am not sure yet. Coming back to Savills after I complete my degree is a fantastic option too. I can see a fulfilling career here. Biodiversity and timber quality is at the core of my values. If I can combine the two, I will. However, I try and keep an open mind, as different sites demand different practices. I have a keen interest in agriculture, therefore agroforestry consultancy is an area of interest too.

What do you hope to gain from writing this article?

I hope at least one person may find it interesting or useful. Whether that be a student thinking about doing a placement year or a business contemplating advertising a placement position. I also hope that foresters afar become more aware of the opportunities available within the Savills forestry team.  It is an exciting time to be in the industry, new projects are developing quickly and Savills is at the forefront of delivering them.