A pupil from Llanidloes High School, has gained an insight into a career in forestry on a week’s work experience with Forestry Commission Wales.
The 15 year old pupil, Ryan Jones, spent his placement out and about in Hafren and Coed Sarnau Forests, near Llanidloes where he learnt how Forestry Commission Wales looks after the woodlands it manages on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government.
In Hafren Forest, Ryan helped with maintenance work to the fences that run along the forest boundary and learnt how foresters protect the broadleaved trees that have been planted alongside the rivers.
He spent a day with the harvesting team, observing how trees are felled for timber. He also learnt how the ground is prepared for planting new trees and how they are looked after when they start to grow.
Wildlife Ranger Malcolm Jerman enlisted Ryan’s help to maintain the bird and bat boxes that are installed throughout Hafren and Coed Sarnau Forests to offer homes to wildlife and he learnt about the methods used to control deer numbers.
He also teamed up with the Forest Civil Engineering unit to see how the maintenance of forest roads is carried out and how a site is prepared for the harvesting of timber.
Jim Ralph, Forestry Commission Wales’s Area Manager, said, “The forest sector employs thousands of people in Wales and offers a variety of career opportunities across a broad range of professions.
“By offering work experience to local school pupils like Ryan, we can give them an idea of the career opportunities available within Forestry Commission Wales and the forest sector as a whole.”
