‘Building resilience together’ is the theme of the 2022 Forestry Conference, run by the CLA, Grown in Britain and the Forestry Commission.

Bookings are now open for the annual event, which will be held at Newbury Racecourse in Berkshire, from 9am to 5pm on 12 October.

Foresters, land managers and landowners will come together to hear from a range of experts and case studies, share experiences, network and collaborate.

This year’s conference theme is ‘Building resilience together’, and will feature sessions on topics such as ELM, plant health, carbon and woodland management, among others.

Confirmed speakers so far include:

  Forestry Commission Chief Executive Richard Stanford

  • CLA President Mark Tufnell
  • Nicola Spence, Chief Plant Health Officer, Defra
  • Janet Hughes, Programme Director for Future Farming and Countryside Programme
  • Liz Nicholson, Director of the Forest Canopy Foundation
  • Richard Deffee, Head Forester at Gascoyne Cecil Estates.
  • Graham Clark, CLA Senior Land Use Policy Adviser and lead on forestry.

Further speakers and case studies will be announced shortly.

CLA South East Regional Director Tim Bamford said: “We are delighted to be organising the forestry conference once again this year, at such an exciting time for the woodland sector.

“We’re also thrilled to be working with the Forestry Commission, Grown in Britain, Pryor & Rickett Silviculture and Wessex Woodland Management Ltd to hold an event with such a strong, varied line-up of speakers.

“We look forward to seeing you on 12 October to explore how we can build resilience in the forestry sector together.”

The conference is kindly supported by Pryor & Rickett Silviculture and Wessex Woodland Management Ltd.

Tickets include a full day’s programme, breakfast, lunch, and tea and coffee breaks. CLA members and Grown in Britain certificate holders can enjoy a discounted booking rate, at £100 plus VAT. Non-member tickets cost £125 plus VAT.

For more information and to book, please visit the CLA website here. If you have any issues booking online, please call the CLA South East office on 01264 313434 and the team will be happy to assist.