Celebration of forestry research will showcase work of PhD students

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Sarah Watts collecting montane willow cuttings for propagation towards habitat restoration (photo credit: Mark Hamblin/scotlandbigpicture.com)
Sarah Watts collecting montane willow cuttings for propagation towards habitat restoration (picture by Mark Hamblin)

An inaugural celebration of forestry research is to be held at the University of Stirling.

The seminar will showcase the work of postgraduate students based at institutions across the UK.

Among those presenting their findings will be plant ecologist Sarah Watts of the University of Stirling who carried out ground-breaking research into mountain woodland restoration.

The event on 26th April is co-hosted by Scottish Forestry Trust (SFT), which part funded the research which will be showcased.

Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Professor Alistair Jump, said: “We’re excited to be welcoming students and academic, agency and industry colleagues from a wide range of SFT co-funded projects across the UK to share experience and findings and to celebrate together.

“The University of Stirling has a long-standing relationship with the SFT, which has co-funded a range of forest-related research projects over the years.

“These range from work looking at the development and maintenance of genetic diversity in Scots pine through to improved methods for the restoration of montane woodlands to understanding the resilience of UK forestry species to extreme weather events.

“The funding received from SFT has enabled us to put together consortia of interested funders to build some exciting PhD projects. We’ve been able to work with a range of great students over the years who have published their work in the scientific press and practitioner journals - demonstrating broad project impact.”

 

Professor Alistair Jump
Professor Alistair Jump
Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences
We’re excited to be welcoming students and academic, agency and industry colleagues from a wide range of SFT co-funded projects across the UK to share experience and findings and to celebrate together.

Bursary scheme

Scottish Forestry Trust’s bursary scheme is a partnership with the Forestry Commission and Natural Resources Wales. It was set up twelve years ago to benefit PhD and Masters research carried out in the UK for the benefit of UK forestry.

Amanda Bryan, Director of Scottish Forestry Trust, said: “We are delighted to be hosting our inaugural Bursary Student Seminar in partnership with the University of Stirling and with support from Scottish Forestry.

“Professor Alistair Jump, at the University of Stirling, and his team have produced excellent forestry researchers, some of which we have had the privilege of funding and it will be great to hear directly from them as well as other bursary students we have supported across the UK.

“The SFT’s Bursary scheme which is supported by Scottish Forestry, Natural Resources Wales and the Forestry Commission has now funded 26 PhD students over a 12-year period and has not just resulted in current research to meet the needs of the forestry sector but also helped to develop the forestry researchers of the future.”

Find out more about the SFT’s bursary scheme.  

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