Sector ‘should do more’

Forestry businesses have been urged to do more to encourage young women into the sector’s science, engineering and technology jobs.

The call came from Rural Affairs Minister Mairi Gougeon, pictured, who said four women had been employed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) in summer placements to enable them to gain experience and develop their skills while still studying.

St Andrews Geography student, Jenny Holdsworth used her time with FLS to create online dashboards for tree health and fire data, produce web maps and storymaps for coastal erosion and develop natural regeneration projects.

The other students worked on ecology projects, analysing natural tree regeneration data, creating maps for Larch felling strategy, flooding and survey work.