Description
Join the Plant Health Operations Team within Forest Services, part of the Forestry Commission, as an Ips typographus Support Officer. You will help protect England's trees and woodlands, while supporting wider plant health work across Great Britain, by assisting with surveillance, fieldwork and outbreak response activities.
The role involves working with the Ips typographus Project Team to prevent, detect and eradicate Ips typographus in England. You will support the Ips typographus Project Officer in delivering England's eradication response to Ips typographus, carrying out ground-level surveillance of vulnerable spruce stands, and assisting with the deployment and checking of pheromone traps.
Key responsibilities include:
- Supporting the Ips typographus Project Officer in delivering England's eradication response to Ips typographus
- Carrying out ground-level surveillance of vulnerable spruce stands
- Assisting with the deployment and checking of pheromone traps
- Collecting, recording and validating field data on surveillance findings, pest distributions and outbreak status
- Supporting the administration of inspections for spruce felling, movement and processing authorisations
- Assisting with the coordination of Statutory Plant Health Notices (SPHNs)
- Engaging with local landowners and forestry sector contacts to support the proactive spruce removal objective in high-risk areas
- Inputting field data into reporting systems and assisting in preparing timely reports
- Assisting with the delivery of training sessions and preparation of guidance materials
- Supporting FC and government R&D initiatives
The successful candidate will have a qualification, training or practical background in forestry, arboriculture, ecology, land management or a related field, and good communication skills with the ability to engage constructively with landowners, contractors and colleagues.