Royal Forestry Society

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Royal Forestry Society
(RFS)
legal form Registered Charity (No. 306093)}
founding 1882-01-10 in Hexham
founder John Robson and Henry Clark
Seat The Hay Barns, Home Farm Drive, Upton Estate, Banbury OX15 6HU
motto Inspiring passion and excellence in woodland management (inspiring passion and excellent quality in managing forests)
purpose Promotion of silviculture and knowledge of silviculture
main emphasis education
Action space England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Managing directors SWB Lloyd
Employees 6th
Volunteers 150
Members 3500
Website https://www.rfs.org.uk/

The Royal Forestry Society ( RFS ) is a not-for-profit organization committed to promoting best practice approaches to forest management in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland there is the independent Royal Scottish Forestry Society founded in 1854 with similar goals.

history

On January 10, 1882, gardener John Robson and forester Henry Clark organized a meeting of local forest owners and administrators at Robson's home in Hexham , Northumberland . They agreed to found the English Arboricultural Society . In the same year a general assembly took place in Newcastle upon Tyne , at which the Earl of Durham was elected as the first president of the society.

In 1897, the company carried out the first exams to qualify forest construction professionals. In 1905 King Edward VII granted the Society a Royal Charter and the name was changed to the Royal English Arboricultural Society . In the same year the society designed an arboretum at Tubney, near Oxford .

In 1907 the first issue of the quarterly Journal of Forestry was published. In 1931 the name was changed again. Now there was talk of The Royal English Forestry Society . In 1957 Charles Ackers donated a forest of sequoias to the company , Redwood Grove near Leighton, Montgomeryshire , west of Birmingham .

In 1960 the statutes were revised and in 1962 the name was changed again to Royal Forestry Society of England, Wales and Northern Ireland . In 1969 the company's headquarters were relocated from London to Tring , Hertfordshire . For the Society's centenary in 1982, Charles, Prince of Wales takes the presidency. In the same year on March 16, the statutes were amended again and shortly afterwards again on May 14, 1984. In 1986 the Society received Hockeridge and Pancake Wood as a gift from Mary Wellesley. In 1998 the company bought approx. 48 hectares of land bordering a national forest in order to operate silviculture there. The provisional last amendment to the Articles of Association became legally effective on December 7, 2004.

In 2012 the headquarters were relocated again, this time to Upton near Banbury .

activities

In general, the RFS pursues three strategic goals according to the statutes:

  1. To promote and disseminate knowledge of forestry practice, tree care and related sciences.
  2. Promote education in forestry, arboriculture and related sciences.
  3. Promote scientific research into forestry, arboriculture and allied sciences and publish the results.

The company's activities are intended to address these three core issues and the Board selects the activities that should lead to the desired outcome.

Publications

A quarterly journal of forestry has been published since 1907, the Quarterly Journal of Forestry . It is only accessible to members in an online database and is sent in a paper envelope to avoid plastic packaging. With the help of various other foundations, the copies for the period 1914 to 1920 were made available online (see web links).

The e-news of the company appears every fortnight, in which news and reports on forest management are published.

Training and teaching

As part of its non-profit work, the RFS offers various one-day courses in which participants can gain further training in specific areas of forestry activities. Topics of such courses are, for example, soil science in forests, forest pests and diseases or the use of geographic information systems .

The “Teaching Trees” program is aimed at school classes. In 2018, over 5000 school children came to the program, which was praised by participants, teachers and parents. The RFS aims at the poorest and worst equipped schools. The program was awarded the “Learning Outside the Classroom” (LOtC) Quality Badge. Teaching Trees has also developed a training program with which schools can incorporate previously unused forest on their premises into their educational program and impart practical forest management experience. In order to meet the need for further training for teachers , a corresponding program has also been added to the portfolio.

The “Future Foresters” program tries to train young people for the technical requirements of forestry. With the support of the Prince's Countryside Fund, 5,000 people should be reached in three years from 2016 to 2018. In fact, the program reached 21,000 people in close collaboration with schools, colleges and universities .

Awards and grants

The RFS awards various prizes and grants:

  • RFS Excellence in Forestry Awards in recognition of good maintenance of various forest categories and in training
  • Sylva Trophy for exceptional achievements in forestry and forestry
  • Viking Bursary Scholarship for a student with a research program in the UK on specific forest and forest topics.
  • five Spencer Bursaries , which enabled students to participate in the conference "The Future for English Woodlands"
  • various Randle Travel Bursaries , with the help of which students could travel to their forestry research projects in the Czech Republic, New York Sate, Yosemite National Park and Mexico.
  • RFS Long Service Awards for long-term employees in forestry. In 2018, ten workers were honored who provided their employer with services for a total of 400 years.

Operation of model forests

The RFS operates three model forests in which it would like to demonstrate how forests have to be managed in order to be economically profitable on the one hand, and sustainable on the other hand , accessible to the public and accessible to teaching and training goals.

  • Hockeridge and Pancake Woods in the Chiltern Hills
  • Battram Woods a renatured area in the area of ​​a national forest
  • Charles Ackers Redwood Grove and Naylor Pinetum, a collection of sequoias and an arboretum

Other activities

In addition to the activities mentioned above, the RFS is involved in various bodies advising the government, advising members on climate-related conversion of forests, supporting programs to prevent the spread of Xylella fastidiosa , and promoting programs to limit the spread of the gray squirrel in the forests of the islands.

organization

The RFS is organized as a foundation (Charity No. 306093) and manages the property of the Charity as a Company Limited by Guarantee (Company No. 05306975). The not-for-profit directors are also the charity's trustees. They form the charity's board. Added to this are the Society's Secretary, employed by the Charity, and the Chief Executive who runs the business.

General meeting

An Annual General Meeting (AGM) must be held once a year. Each member has one vote for each point of decision. Each member is entitled to participate or can assign his voting rights to a representative. In stalemates, the chairman can bring about a decision with an additional vote. The quorum is reached when at least 15 members are present. The fixed items on the AGM agenda are:

  • Annual financial statements of the company
  • Report of the Management Committee on the activities of the past period.
  • Election of new members of the committee.
  • Election of the company's auditor
  • Confirmation of patronage or honorary membership (those affected must have given their prior consent)
  • Discussion and decision on all other submitted agenda items.

Extraordinary sessions Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) may be called with a 22-day advance notice. The quorum is 30 members.

Management Committee

The Management Committee consists of elected representatives of the General Assembly and defines the guidelines and rules according to which the charity is administered and according to which the operational goals are determined.

The Management Committee must meet at least three times a year, with both face-to-face and remote meetings allowed. A simple majority of the members present is sufficient to decide on topics. The quorum for this session is four. The tasks of the committee are:

  • Appointment (or removal) of a suitably (or insufficiently) qualified director
  • Determination of the remuneration of the director and the other employees of the charity
  • Functional delegation of the tasks of the committee.
  • Establish behavior and work instructions in accordance with the goals of the company and the statutes.
  • To undertake any decision or activity that does not need to be fulfilled by the AGM.

The Council

The council is the executive management of the charity and implements the goals set by the management committee and confirmed by the AGM. The Management Committee consists of

  • the members of the Management Committee elected in the AGM
  • the president and one or more
  • Vice President
  • Treasurer
  • the chairman (this can be the president or one of the vice-presidents)

In addition, there are two to a maximum of six associate members and the Immediate Past President, i.e. the direct predecessor of the incumbent President. Elected and other members must sign a declaration of consent by which they accept the responsibility as trustee.

The council nominates any president, vice-president, chairperson or treasurer. The AGM can only elect representatives nominated in this way. Some members of the Management Committee are appointed by the Council.

The administration

After consulting the Council, the Management Committee determines the functional structure of the charity. The structure is thus subordinate to the respective tasks that are required by the currently valid goals.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q unknown: History. In: Royal Forestry Society website. Retrieved April 21, 2020 (English).
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au The Royal Forestry Society. Data for financial year ending 31 December 2018. In: Website of the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Accessed April 25, 2020 (English).
  3. ↑ The Royal Forestry Society (A Company Limited By Guarantee) Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2018. (PDF) In: Website of the Charity Commission for England and Wales. December 31, 2018, accessed April 25, 2020 .
  4. ^ A b c Royal Forestry Society: Memorandum and Articles of Association of The Royal Forestry Society. (PDF) Incorporated 7th December 2004. In: Website of the RFS. General Assembly of the Royal Forestry Society, December 7, 2004, accessed on July 11, 2020 .

Web links