A TOTAL of 33 new members of staff will be recruited by Scottish Forestry as part of efforts to expand the country's woodlands.
Woodland officers and senior operations workers will be among those added to existing teams, with roles also opening in the likes of tree health and business analytics.
With plans to create 18,000 hectares of woodland in Scotland every year by 2024/25, it's hoped the new recruits will play a crucial part in achieving that goal.
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Dave Signorini, chief executive of Scottish Forestry, said: “This expansion is brilliant for the forest industries, for the plants and animals that live in our woodlands, and for all the people who visit these wonderful green spaces.
"We want Scottish Forestry to be at the heart of this, working closely with woodland owners both large and small.
"That means we need to increase our own staffing so that we can continue to support the sector effectively and efficiently.
“We will be recruiting 33 new members of staff to posts around the country."
The skills shortage in Britain's forestry industry has been widely documented, with the most bleak predictions suggesting 10,000 roles will soon need to be filled.
It's hoped this move - as well as those being taken by DEFRA and the Forestry Commission - will go some way to addressing those issues.
Dave added: “Not only will we be recruiting new woodland officers and senior operations staff to boost woodland creation, we will be looking for other key staff in a variety of exciting roles. We will be looking for staff in project management, tree health, learning and skills development, business analytics and systems development.
“Scottish Forestry is committed to equality and diversity in its workforce and we are a friendly organisation to work in so please do get in touch if you’d like to join us.
“It’s a fantastic time to be working in forestry and our job opportunities make for such a rewarding career.”
Anyone wishing to keep an eye open for jobs over the coming months should keep an eye on Scottish Forestry’s live vacancies web page.
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