A student from the Scottish School of Forestry at Inverness College UHI has scooped an award from forestry management and timber harvesting company Tilhill.
Jacques Fiette, a third year BSc (Hons) Forest Management student, won the Tilhill Award for Best New Planting Application following a report he prepared on woodland creation in his forestry policy and law module earlier this year.
The 23-year-old was presented with a specially carved wooden trophy by Tilhill’s North Highland district manager, Julian Hollingdale during a virtual awards ceremony earlier this month.
As part of the company’s work to strengthen links with future foresters, Tilhill presents awards to top performing students at universities offering degrees in forestry-related subjects across the UK.
Jacques was tasked with developing a woodland creation operational plan for a former agricultural site in the Highlands, similar to the plan most foresters will complete when applying for grant funding for new woodland projects. He proposed a productive hardwood scheme, which addressed resiliency to the impacts of climate change.
Jacques Fiette, who works for Logie Timber, Forres, said: “The support and encouragement students receive from the Scottish School of Forestry is reflected through this award, which I’m very grateful and honoured to receive. This award is a great opportunity for students to be creative and research the multiple options for woodland creation available, and is a good way of introducing students to using official documents and layouts, as well as showing the amount of research required. I am honoured Tilhill took interest in my plan, which is a good sign that such a leading company is constantly innovating their production methods and seeking alternative silvicultural practices for the UK.”
