Finland and Forests

A diary of my Archnetwork visit to Tampere, an Erasmus+ funded trip with host partner Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK).

Day One: Visit to Seitseminen National Park

The group visited Seitseminen National Park, north of Tampere in the Pirkanmaa Region of Finland. Designated a National Park in 1982 and managed by the Finnish Forest Service Metsahallitus Forststyrelsen, the National Park receives 45,000 visitors each year - and the visitor numbers are on the increase.

The National Park is an example of old-growth Finnish forest and showcases how people used to make a living in these remote backwoods. This includes a full-scale 1930's farm stead at Kovero.

We walked the Multiharju Old-growth Forest Trail (1.8 km), amidst the Scots pines, spruces and large aspens, and a multitude of fungi. All uniformly structured, gun-barrel straight specimens unlike the 'Granny Pines' indicative of the Caledonian Forest, at sites such as Rothiemurchus Forest and Abernethy Nature Reserve.

I saw both great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) and lesser spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major).

From Kirkas-Soljanen we walked 2.5 km to Liesilammi Lake and surrounding wetlands to look for signs of beaver. We weren't disappointed!

Day Two: Visit to Avohakkuukohde

We joined second year Forestry degree students from Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) on a course assignment - mensuration [akin to a Forestry Commission Scotland Forestry for Non-Foresters course I've been on].

The 70-80 year old forest is owned by a variety of private owners, including Tampere City Council. Dr Jenni Kokkarinen, lecturer at Tampere University of Applied Sciences gave us an introduction to forestry practices in Finland. To all intent and purposes Finland's timber industry features four main tree species - Norway spruce (Picea abies), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), silver birch (Betula pendula) and aspen (Populus tremula).

From a distance commercial forestry appears less regulated than in the UK. The majority of forests are the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) certified, very few are the more stringent Forest Stewardship Council Certification (FSC) standard. The mixed stands are typically thinned after 40 years before clear-felling after 60-80 years, even as long as 100 years. After clear-fell, Finnish law states the site must be restocked; more often than not this is through natural regeneration, but occasionally Norway spruce is planted, especially on good soils. It would appear Norway spruce is the species of choice in Finnish forestry; Sitka spruce, Picea sitchensis is notable by its absence.

Pests and diseases do not seem to be a major concern in Finnish forestry. The large pine weevil, Hylobius abietis, is present and dealt with through similar treatment techniques. Other pathogens include the fungi Heterobasidion annosum on pine and Heterobasidion parviporum on spruce.

The understory of Finnish forests is mightily impressive with a bewildering array of fungi and lichens. Numerous species of wood ant dominate the forest floor and today I saw my first ever narrow-headed ant (Formica exsecta) nest. The narrow-headed ant is a UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species and listed as endangered in the UK.

Day Three: Visit to Tampereen Luontokoulu Korento and Tampere Esker

In the morning the group visited Tampereen Luontokoulu Korento (Tampere Nature School) where we met with Biology Teacher, Eva Mantyvaata. The Tampereen Luontokoulu Korento is the only nature school in the Tampere area [there are approximately 30 nature schools in Finland]. Every school in the Tampere area is invited to attend the nature school and children from kindergarten age to 7th Grade (13 years old) are entitled to attend free of charge. Indeed, many of the schools use public transport to travel to the nature school as there is a bus stop immediately outside the school. School groups attend five days a week, all year round.

The demand for the school's services is high. Eva remarked, "The main reason for the demand is that urban teachers don't have the courage to take students outside. We hope to show teachers how easy it is to undertake these activities themselves, and how much fun it is." I was dismayed to discover that even in Finland educators, such as Eva, are beginning to notice children are becoming more and more disconnected from nature. Nature-deficit disorder in Finland - surely not!

In the afternoon, we met up with Dr Eveliina Asikainen, Senior Lecturer at Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) on Tampere esker. The esker houses an 8,000 year-old forest sympathetically managed by Tampere City Council. Where possible, the council try to manage recreational forests in as natural manner as possible, with no large man-made clearings. As Eveliina says, "Finns don't want parks, we much prefer forests." Perhaps not an unsurprising viewpoint from a resident of the most forested country in Europe.

Day Four: Tampere University of Applied Sciences

The group visited Tampere University of Applied Sciences where Senior Lecturer, Dr Eveliina Asikainen introduced aspects of the Finnish education system.

Children attend school at 7 years old and then spend 9 years in basic education. At age 16, children choose whether they wish to attend upper secondary education (for 3 years) or vocational education (for 3 years). This results in the vast majority of Finnish children remaining in education, in one form or another, until the age of 19.

The upper secondary education option is the more academic of the two, consisting of a traditional Bachelors Degree in Forestry (3-6 years), potentially followed by Masters Degree and Doctoral Degree. Only two universities in Finland offer the traditional Forestry Degree - the University of Eastern Finland and University of Helsinki.

The vocational education option is less academic and more practical and consists of a Bachelors Degree in Forest Engineering (3.5-4.5 years), potentially followed by a Masters Degree. 25 Universities of Applied Sciences, including Tampere University of Applied Sciences offer the Forest Engineering Degree.

Vocational training in forestry in Finland. [Yellow. Harvester driving and Machinery Operative. Green. Producer of Forest Management Services. Courtesy of Eveliina Asikainen].

The Forest Engineering Degree curriculum from Tampere University of Applied Sciences consists of,

·       Forest Sites and Ecology

·       Basics of Forest Management and Harvesting

·       Forest Nature and Forest Regeneration

·       Wood as Raw Material for Bioeconomy

·       Wood Supply

·       Forests and Society

·       Forest Management Planning

·       Forestry Extension and Interpersonal Skills

·       Forestry Business and Project Know-How

·       Machinery and Logistics or Advanced Management Planning

·       Management and Information Systems

In addition, students must complete practical training (30 credits), a written thesis (15 credits) and free choice studies (5 credits).

Perhaps not surprisingly, Tampere University of Applied Sciences Forest Engineering graduates are highly attractive to employers, with approximately 90% employed within forestry after six months from completion of the course.

The group then received a presentation on Conservation of Forest Biodiversity in Finland from Dr Petri Keto-Tokoi. Petri detailed the conflict between forestry and the nature conservation movement that ignited in the late 1960's as a reaction against intensified forest management and continued through the 1970's and 1980's during a very intensive period of logging, forest road building and forest engineering.

The present government of Finland aims to increase annual felling by 25% to 80 million cubic metres per year (an increase of 15 million cubic metres). These targets have re-ignited several issues of conflict, in particular the increased harvesting targets of industrial roundwood and the impacts this will have on biodiversity and carbon storage.

Finally, the seven members of the Archnetwork group delivered short presentations about our work and the organisations we work for to the second year Forest Engineering students.

Day Five: Visit to Lake Puurijarvi National Park

With a free morning the group ventured into Tampere to potentially visit the world's only Moomin Museum. However some of the group were distracted by Tracon 2018, a cosplay, role-playing and anime event held in Tampere, adjacent to the Moomin Museum. I got to meet Deadpool. Chimichangas anyone?

In the afternoon we met up with our host Eveliina Asikainen who took us to Lake Puurijarvi National Park, one of the most important bird lakes in Finland. The National Park is included in the Natura 200 network as it is a Site of Community Interest (SCI) under the Habitats Directive and a Special Protection Area under the Birds Directive.

We spent late afternoon watching marsh harriers (Circus aeruginosus) patrol the mire in search of prey. I was very fortunate to see a red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio) and a white tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). All three species were firsts for me.

As dusk descended the real spectacle of Lake Puurijarvi revealed itself as more than 1,000 common cranes (Grus grus) returned to the mire in large sieges to rest and roost. A truly unforgettable experience.

Day Six: Visit to Lakkasuo Mire

The group visited Lakkasuo Mire, one of the principal study areas of the research project SUOSILMU (Carbon Cycling and Peatlands and Climate Change) with our host for the day, Dr Pirjo Puustjarvi. The mire receives considerable amount of groundwater from the Vatiharju esker to the west of the mire. Numerous mire site demonstration areas have been established with several kilometeres of wooden trails (or duckboards).

Three species dominate the mire habitat; Norway spruce (Picea abies), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Dwarf birch (Betula nana). Soil composition and water levels govern species dominance and the transition from Norway Spruce on better quality, drier soil to Scots pine and Dwarf birch on wetter soils was particularly obvious.

In the afternoon, we visited the Serlachius Museum in Mantta. The museum, established by Gustaf Adof Serlachius, one of the pioneers of the Finnish paper industry is aptly housed in the former head office of the company. To this day, Metsa Tissue operate a paper mill on the site of Serlachius' mill from 1868.

What makes a Professional?

We find ourselves in a dynamic time for forestry. The sector is burgeoning, which brings a heightened public profile and places forestry professionals well and truly in the spotlight, including their behaviour and attitude. So what makes a professional?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a Professional as:

Professional ► noun a person engaged or qualified in a profession. ■ a person engaged in a specific activity, especially a sport, as a main paid occupation rather than as a pastime. ■ a person competent or skilled in a particular activity.

But a professional is more than a dictionary definition. Professionalism is about attitude and conduct – a moral compass if you like – and one that is becoming ever more prominent in a modern forestry sector. In many ways it’s no longer enough to have skills and knowledge – a professional must also be able to demonstrate that they can apply it ethically to the situations they face.

The sector is supported by its professional body, the Institute of Chartered Foresters. As a professional organisation constituted under a Royal Charter, the Institute sets standards of education, competence and ethics for its members. It places a strong emphasis on the integrity and competence of its members and therefore requires them to conduct themselves in accordance with a Code of Conduct.

The Code should be considered central to the professional life of a forestry professional not only as a source of ethical guidance, but also as a guide to principles of good practice. The six professional and ethical standards that Institute members must abide by are:

• Act with integrity
• Always provide a high standard of service
• Treat others with respect
• Take responsibility
• Act in a way that promotes trust in the profession
• Have regard for sustainability throughout your work 

Of course you don’t need to be a Chartered Forester to abide by these principles but the role of a Chartered Institute is to ensure that its members follow this Code thereby providing assurance to the general public. Most people recognise that to be a chartered member of a professional body means that the individual is subject to scrutiny regarding their behaviour and that failure to maintain standards can result in a disciplinary process. A Chartered Forester is no different, with an obligation to demonstrate a commitment to follow a Code of Conduct and undertake Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities. Our members' commitment to lifelong learning is a vital element in improving professionalism within our sector. Meaningful CPD should be high quality, challenging and serve as an outlet to improve professional competence.

Members of the Institute of Chartered Foresters may be found working in the private sector, the public sector, non-government bodies and academia. Our members work in every aspect of forestry including forest management, harvesting, operations, policy, research and urban forestry. What all members have in common is their professionalism.

Professionals stand apart because their relationship with their peers, clients and society, in general, is based on implicit trust. This notion of trust crops up time and again when considering professionalism. We believe Chartered Forester status should be a goal for all in the forestry industry who wish parity with other professionals.

Many employers pay membership subscription fees, support staff with time in lieu for chartered status applications and place chartered status at the heart of staff’s personal development plans. It makes perfect business sense. The benefits of employees that have been awarded Chartered Forester status are obvious, and employers are only too happy to trade on this badge of professionalism.

Our most recent membership survey found that nearly two-thirds of respondents (aged 25-34 year old) who had already obtained chartered status earned in excess of £35,000. By comparison, 89% of respondents who were not chartered earned less than £35,000. Chartered status, quite simply, results in an ability to earn more money and faster career progression. Which is perhaps why membership of the Institute of Chartered Foresters is greater than at any point in our 90-year history. Current membership stands in excess of 1,700 members.

Each year the Institute runs workshops to help applicants understand the chartered process. 
Copyright Rich Dyson Photography.

Whatever your role in the sector, if you believe yourself or your staff to be professional then the pursuit of Chartered Forester status is one of the best means to demonstrate this. As Member Services Director for the Institute of Chartered Foresters, my role is to ensure members get the most from their membership and support those individuals who wish to present for chartered status. If I can assist you in any way, then please feel free to contact me.

This blog post originally appeared in the April 2017 (Issue 80) edition of Forestry & Timber News produced by the Confederation of Forest Industries. 

Revitalising CPD at the Institute of Chartered Foresters

I was thrilled to be asked to present at this year's Membership Excellence conference, #MEMX15. If "Revitalising CPD at the Institute of Chartered Foresters" is of interest to you, then here's a link to my presentation from yesterday.

Huge thanks to Richard and the team at MemberWise for organising such a slick event. For me, one of the plus points of the day was meeting fellow membership professionals and gaining valuable insights and examples of best practice from them.

Revitalising CPD at the Institute of Chartered Foresters

The Professional Learning Iceberg

Members' professionalism, lifelong learning and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is an integral part of my role as Membership Manager for the Institute of Chartered Foresters. The motivation behind members' CPD is an area that interests me greatly. Earlier this year, I wrote a blog post for the Institute of Chartered Foresters entitled The Top 5 Benefits of CPD.

On Tuesday of this week, I attended the Professional Associations Research Network (PARN) Conference - CPD: Making it Meaningful. I was infinitely impressed by the opening speaker Hilary Lindsay, Vice President of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and Affiliated Researcher at the Open University, who enthusiastically shared with us her research on CPD and her Career Adaptability Model. It was most illuminating. 

In 2011 Hilary surveyed more than 500 Chartered Accountants and when asked to record the relevance of learning activities in their current role, the Top 5 responses were as follows,

1. Accessing the Internet for information 

2. Doing your job on a regular basis

3. Reading technical material

4. Reading magazines, newspapers and journals 

5. Attending courses, conferences and seminars

However, when the same group were asked to describe learning activities as CPD, the Top 5 responses were as follows,

1. Attending courses, conferences and seminars

2. Reading technical material

3. Reading magazines, newspapers and journals

4. Studying online learning modules

5. Accessing the Internet for information

It would appear many professionals still equate formal learning activities as the premier source of CPD. We, as professional associations have an obligation to our members to communicate and reinforce the importance of informal learning, practical learning and reflection as acceptable, and indeed desirable components of CPD. 

In her presentation, Hilary used models from Illeris (2002) and Livingstone (2002) to illustrate the three dimensions of learning and the informed learning iceberg (see below). The majority of our members will readily undertake cognitive learning activities, whether it be attending formal training courses or reading technical material. 

But as professional associations we need to encourage our members to,

1. Learn with or from others

2. Learn on the job

3. Learn through reflection

Only by embracing these interpersonal and intrapersonal activities (those learning styles submerged in the ocean at the base of the iceberg) will our members be truly competent professionals. 

How best to illustrate this to members of the Institute of Chartered Foresters? The iceberg becomes a tree, obviously. 

You can read more about Hilary Lindsay's research in the PARN publication - Adaptability: The Secret to Lifelong Learning. 

Further reading.
Illeris, K. (2002) The three dimensions of learning. Roskilde University Press.
Livingstone, D. W. (2002) Lifelong learning and underemployment in the knowledge society: A North American perspective. Supporting lifelong learning. Volume 3: Making policy work. The Open University.

I'd like to nominate...

On Tuesday morning, my Twitter timeline was peppered with a series of bleary-eyed celebrity selfies - Jemima Khan, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Jeremy Clarkson, Claudia Winkleman and Tom Hiddleston to name but a few. This was my introduction to Unicef's #WakeUpCall campaign. A campaign designed to highlight the plight of thousands of Syrian children who have fled from the relentless violence in their country. No one could possibly question the aim of the campaign, but immediately something didn't sit right with me. I posted the following tweet,

Just me or does Unicef's #WAKEUPCALL campaign seem a little too contrived? "Let's make a viral campaign." Your thoughts? Awaits backlash.
— Stuart Glen (@stuglen) October 7, 2014

Somewhat surprisingly, no backlash followed. In fact, I wasn't alone in my questioning of the campaign. Zoe Amar and Charles Bagnall concurred, and Jonathan Waddingham referred me to a Huffington Post article on the very same subject.

To me the #WakeUpCall campaign seemed too contrived and manufactured. It was trying a little too hard if you like. It wanted to be the next #IceBucketChallenge.

As a former fundraiser, I don't feel comfortable publicly belittling a charity's fundraising campaign, but #WakeUpCall really irked me. I felt Dan Snow's #WakeUpCall contribution was one of the most infuriating.

Where @Jemima_Khan leads, I follow. Here's my hotel room #WAKEUPCALL. Pls Text SYRIA to 70007 (to give £5) @UNICEF_uk pic.twitter.com/eCjHATdeGo
— Dan Snow (@thehistoryguy) October 7, 2014

#WakeUpCall suddenly seemed like another narcissistic vehicle for celebrities, their stylists and their PR people. Hadley Freeman's feature in The Guardian distills my discomfort better than I could ever hope to achieve,

"Is this really what we have come to - needing to see photos of luminaries such as Nicky Hilton and Elle Macpherson in bed in order to give money to Unicef? Since when did charity become some kind of beauty pageant in which famous women flaunt their 'natural' looks?"

For some celebrities the act of nominating their 'celebrity mates' is almost as important (and self-gratifying) as the challenge, or indeed the cause itself.

However, the following day the game changed. I received an Instagram notification, Paul De Gregorio had nominated me. The bugger! I found myself with an interesting dilemma - nominated for a fundraising challenge for a campaign that annoyed me, but nominated by someone I respect and admire. Is the act of nominating others set to be the focus of successful fundraising campaigns over the next wee while?

Paul's #WakeUpCall contribution was particularly creative and certainly no narcissistic allegations can be leveled at him.

The eye mask is not a prop. I fear this is Paul's regular slumber attire. Digital Diva!

My discomfort with #WakeUpCall remains. Nonetheless, somewhat hesitantly, in some ways begrudgingly, I'm about to share my own #WakeUpCall contribution. I've made a donation to Unicef and I would urge you to do likewise.

Please text SYRIA to 70007 to give £5.00 to Unicef.

And so to my nominations. I'd like to nominate Sara, Andy and Helen for #WakeUpCall.

The job interview. A chance to impress a potential donor?

Did you see the recent story from the US about an entry level candidate to an unnamed not-for-profit that had to prepare a meal for 40 senior executives as part of a 12 hour interview process? Only in America?

As someone who has recently experienced the recruitment process I'm pleased to say its not as bad in the UK. It is demanding, and rightly so. Candidates are expected to jump through a bewildering array of hoops to secure that dream job - obligatory presentations, role play exercises, copywriting challenges, staged team lunches. The list goes on. Employers seem to want more and more from the candidate. One role I interviewed for expected the applicant to match 33 Essential skills, but no Desirable skills. Essential skills they defined as the attributes without which a candidate would not be able to undertake the full remit of the role; and applicants that did not clearly demonstrate in their application that they possessed the essential skills would normally be eliminated at the short listing stage. Really? 33 Essential skills.

I experienced first hand a great disparity in the manner charities treated candidates. Several organisations failed to inform me of the interview panel's decision. Others gave cursory feedback. A token gesture to appease the Human Resources Manager.

However, one charity stood out from the crowd. CLIC Sargent. A wonderful charity helping children and young people with cancer. In preparation for an interview I lived on their website, absorbing as much information as I could.

But it was CLIC Sargent's post-interview processes that impressed me. I was interviewed for a fundraising position by two senior fundraising staff. Following the interview I was informed of the panel's decision promptly by email. The member of staff offered a telephone meeting to discuss the interview in-depth. When we spoke, the member of staff went through each interview question one by one, often referencing exact phrases from the interview, in order to provide me with detailed feedback. Valuable, constructive feedback. This did not feel like a box-ticking exercise devised by the Human Resources Manager. Rather, an organisation that appreciated, respected, even valued the candidates that made the effort to present at interview. It struck me that if this is how CLIC Sargent treat an interview candidate, how on earth do they treat their staff?

CLIC Sargent are helping children and young people with cancer through out the UK.

So impressed was I with CLIC Sargent that I'm fundraising for them. This April, myself and group of friends are undertaking the 23 miles from Glasgow to Loch Lomond as part of The Kiltwalk. I'm proud to be taking on this fundraising challenge for CLIC Sargent. You can sponsor us here.

As fundraisers, we're only too aware that every meeting is an opportunity to impress a potential donor; whether its a scheduled face-to-face meeting with a well-researched prospect or a chance encounter at a dinner party. We accept the ambassadorial role for our charities. From these encounters, extraordinary relationships are established and transformational gifts received. But how many of us would treat the job interview as an opportunity to impress a potential donor?

The candidate in front of you may have the propensity to give? The candidate in front of you will most certainly have networks. Those members of staff that undertake interviews on behalf of a charity, remember you're not only interviewing the candidate in front of you. You're being interviewed by them.

Is this the best thank you letter ever written?

This weekend I received a wonderful thank you letter from Child's i Foundation. Child's i Foundation is an organisation very close to my heart - see The Three Robbers. The thank you letter is exhibits a high level of personalisation and details a degree of donor impact, nonetheless the title of this blog post is a pretty bold claim.

Here's the copy, see what you think.

Dear Stuart,

I just wanted to send you a little something to say thank you for everything you do for Child's i Foundation. It's not just that you believed in us from the beginning, or that you've recently more than doubled your regular gift (for which we are incredibly grateful) or even your unshakable online support. it's you endless commitment and enthusiasm which continues to help our project thrive. You really are changing children's lives - and not just in Uganda. We're committed to growing our successful model, using all experience from the project so far, to help change the lives of more children around the world. Thank you for believing in us and being part of our movement.

Love Teri and Lucy.

I could deconstruct the thank you letter, analyse individual components -

• It acknowledges the donor's range of support for Child's i Foundation
• It demonstrates staff know that the donor recently increased a monthly Direct Debit donation
• It reassures the donor of the impact their donation is making in Uganda (and beyond)
• It thanks the donor for believing in the organisation

But here's the thing. This isn't an automated, mass produced thank you letter spat out from a customer relationship management database with a series of merged fields to appease the donor's need for authenticity. This is a handwritten note, in a handwritten envelope that has the impudence to address me as "Stuart Glen, Childs i Super Supporter." This is a thank you letter that accompanies a simple piece of artwork from Issa, sent all the way from Uganda.

A thank you note from Child's i Foundation.

I don't know Teri. But I her imagine her taking ten minutes out of her busy day, amidst 101 other things screaming for her attention, to write a thank you note to a Child's i Foundation supporter. It's a letter from one human being to another. That's why I believe this is the best thank you letter ever written.

Fundraisers ask yourself, can you say the same about your suite of thank you letters?