Scottish Forestry Trust announces award winners

The Scottish Forestry Trust has announced its Scottish Woodlands Student Excellence Awards.

The winner for 2021 is Dr Vanessa Burton, a Spatial Scientist with Forest Research who completed her PhD at Edinburgh University.

Burton’s thesis on Visions for woodland expansion in 21st Century Scotland: alternative governance strategies and ecosystem service implications explored how governance and who makes decisions, influences both woodland expansion and the ecosystem services delivered.

The Trustees also awarded a Special Award to Dr David Gil-Moreno, now a researcher at National University of Ireland Galway. His current role involves the characterisation of Irish-grown timber species for the best utilisation of forest resources and the diversification of the timber supply. Gil-Moreno was also previously joint winner of the Royal Forestry Society’s James Cup for one of his research papers.