Forest Research has been awarded the ISO/IEC 17025 certification by the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS).
“It’s the gold standard for laboratory tests in the UK,” said Dr Christine Wilson, Head of the Forest Protection at Forest Research. “It demonstrates our testing is accurate, robust and trustworthy.”
Being awarded the accreditation has been the culmination of over three years of hard work from the tree health lab team.
The accreditation process is rigorous and covers assessments of the tests themselves through to the management of the lab.
For example, all the lab’s equipment – from PCR machines to fridges and freezers – was calibrated and checked regularly to make sure that it was within the correct parameters.
Policies and processes were put in place for everything from data protection requirements to risk assessments to quality control measures.
“You’re building evidence over time,” said Christine, “it’s not a quick process.” But the results are worth it, “with this accreditation, decision-makers know that our results are reliable.”
The accredited tests are:
Survey of 7,000 people conducted to find out about the public’s awareness and understanding of biosecurity and plant and tree health in the UK.
Planting woodland adjacent to established woodland or in large clumps is more likely to boost bird populations than random planting, modelling suggests.
Forest Research has announced that Dr Bianca Ambrose-Oji, currently Head of its Society and Environment Research Group, will succeed Professor Chris Quine FRSE as Chief Scientist from June 2025.
Survey of 7,000 people conducted to find out about the public’s awareness and understanding of biosecurity and plant and tree health in the UK.
Planting woodland adjacent to established woodland or in large clumps is more likely to boost bird populations than random planting, modelling suggests.
Forest Research has announced that Dr Bianca Ambrose-Oji, currently Head of its Society and Environment Research Group, will succeed Professor Chris Quine FRSE as Chief Scientist from June 2025.