At APF 26, we’re launching Talking Forestry, a new free event series of short talks and panel discussions in the Confor Seminar Tent (stand 1680-1735).
We’ve brought together experts and leaders from across the sector to discuss the biggest issues facing forestry today. From public attitudes to timber and the essential contribution of forestry to national security to future species choices in a changing climate, we’re sure you’ll find plenty to get your teeth into.
When |
What |
Who |
| Thurs 24 Sept | ||
| 10.30 – 11.30am | Trust, transparency and the public perception of forestry – how can we explain forestry better?
Recent research shows a widening gap between the realities of forestry and public understanding of its benefits. How is this impacting on how we do our jobs and what can we do about it? |
Rebecca Smith is journalist and author of Rural: The Lives of the Working-Class Countryside and a forthcoming book on forestry.
Peter Coles is Area Director for the South-East and London, Forestry England Paul Brannen is a former Member of the European Parliament and has served as Public Affairs Director for the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries, the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry, and the UK Confederation of Timber Industries. He is a Forestry Commissioner. |
| 12 – 2pm | Confor Awards | Private event |
| 2.30 – 3.30pm | Is forestry a national security issue?
The UK imports around 80 per cent of the timber it consumes. How do we ensure we meet the Britain’s timber supply needs alongside the other benefits that woods and trees bring, including for recreation, net zero and nature. Join the Chair and the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission in conversation on this hugely important topic. |
Barbara, Baroness Young of Old Scone, has been Chair of the Forestry Commission since 2026. She has led some of the UK’s most influential environmental organisations, including the RSPB and Environment Agency, and was Chair of English Nature.
Richard Stanford became Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission in 2021, following a 35-year career in the British Army. He recently became a MICFor, having learnt a great deal about forestry in the past 5 years. |
| Friday 25 Sept | ||
| 11 – 11.45am | Steep ground harvesting today: what are the real limits?
(Tilhill event) Steep ground harvesting pushes things to the limit. Hear about the very latest in technology and technique in forestry’s most extreme discipline. |
Speaker to be announced |
| 12 – 12.45pm | Forestry in 50 years – species choices for a future climate
In fifty years, the climate our trees will be growing in will be very different to how it is now. How is this impacting on trees species selection and what do those at the chainsaw’s edge of decision-making think forestry will look like in 2076? |
David Edwards, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Coordinator, Forest Research.
Eleanor Tew, Head of Forest Planning, Forestry England Mark Broadmeadow, Head of Climate Change, Forestry Commission Rob MacKenna, General Manager, James Jones and Sons Ltd |
| 1 – 1.45pm | How do we get more trees on farms?
Trees how many benefits for farmers, but how do we get more trees on farms? Farming advocate, Rebecca Wilson, discusses the challenges with James Ramskir-Gardiner from the Forestry Commission’s agroforestry team.
|
Rebecca Wilson is a fifth-generation farmer in Yorkshire, a Cambridge graduate and popular farming blogger. She was included in The Times’ Young Power List 2025.
James Ramskir-Gardiner is a National Agroforestry Advisor at the Forestry Commission. |
| 2 – 2.45pm | The TreeAlert top five – protecting our trees, woods and forests
TreeAlert is the national online platform for reporting tree pests and diseases. It monitors national tree health and acts as an early warning system, alerting scientists and practitioners to developing threats. What are the biggest concerns for those at the frontline of tree protection? Three experts in key roles at the forefront of the fight share their most pressing concerns and consider what the future might hold. |
Max Blake, Head of Entomology, Forest Research
Annabel Narayanan, Director of Action Oak Lisa Brooks, Chief Executive Officer, Forestry Commission |
| 3 – 3.45pm | Broadening the pool – increasing sector skills in forestry
Forestry has never faced greater competition for talent. But, equally, we have to get the best out of all those already within the industry, recognising the wide range of skills and abilities we already have. Listen to four unique perspectives on maintaining and enhancing the most important assets in the industry, our people. |
Steve Fowkes, Senior Policy Advisor, Skills, Business and Markets, Forestry Commission
Louise Simpson, Chief Executive, Institute of Chartered Foresters Melanie McEwan, Operations Director, Forestry Training Services UK Charlotte Waller, Marketing Manager, Tilhill Forestry |
| Saturday 26 September | ||
| 11 – 11.30am | Keep it clean, protect our trees
Biosecurity protects our trees, woods and forests from pests and diseases. From cleaning your boots, bikes and buggies after visiting a forest to reporting any trees that you suspect are in ill-health, come along and learn more. |
Plant Health Forestry |
| 1 – 1.30pm | Keep it clean, protect our trees
Biosecurity protects our trees, woods and forests from pests and diseases. From cleaning your boots, bikes and buggies after visiting a forest to reporting any trees that you suspect are in ill-health, come along and learn more. |
Plant Health Forestry |
| 2 – 3pm | Small Woods Association AGM | Private event |
Carbon experts Robert Matthews and Carly Whittaker discuss how forest management affects the carbon balance in a new featured article for the Royal Forestry Society’s Quarterly Journal of Forestry.
On Wednesday 17 June, Forest Research was admitted to the European National Forest Inventory Network (ENFIN).
Carbon experts Robert Matthews and Carly Whittaker discuss how forest management affects the carbon balance in a new featured article for the Royal Forestry Society’s Quarterly Journal of Forestry.
On Wednesday 17 June, Forest Research was admitted to the European National Forest Inventory Network (ENFIN).
