Tom Coates
@tcoatesmicfor.bsky.social
51 followers 57 following 10 posts
Professional forester. Passionate about trees, forests and timber. Advocating productive forests for people, nature and the economy 🌲🪵
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tcoatesmicfor.bsky.social
Thanks for your constructive comment. I agree that non-native conifer forests support less biodiversity compared to native forests. I disagree with your opinion that they decimate habitats. They actually provide habitat to many species.
tcoatesmicfor.bsky.social
Having spent the day in forests of the Scottish Borders that provide habitat for Red squirrels, badgers, pine marten, goshawks, cross bills, buzzards, various different fungi and other biodiversity, I would wholeheartedly disagree.
Reposted by Tom Coates
theicf.bsky.social
Bookings are now open for our Wales Member Network Centenary Conference: Forestry at 100 – A Century of Growth, A Future of Possibility.

🗓️ 6 Nov 📍Bangor University

View the programme and secure a ticket - places are limited ⬇️

charteredforesters.org/event/wales-...
Reposted by Tom Coates
tcoatesmicfor.bsky.social
Estate #woodlands are full of challenges. Traditional #landuse with contemporary demands.

@theicf.bsky.social Chartered Foresters are well equipped to deal with these challenges. @lwhemmings.bsky.social

How do foresters manage estate woodlands? | Forester Asks Questions
youtu.be/w5tHag2r67Y
How do foresters manage estate woodlands? | Forester Asks Questions
YouTube video by Forester Asks Questions
youtu.be
tcoatesmicfor.bsky.social
I’ve said on multiple occasions that some of the marketing that Woodland Trust put out portrays forestry terribly. @wtscotsocial.bsky.social - check out this DEFRA report: www.gov.uk/government/s...
Wild bird populations in the UK and England, 1970 to 2024
www.gov.uk
Reposted by Tom Coates
andyheald.bsky.social
Always an important day in the UK forestry calendar.
Strongly recommend downloading or getting a paper copy - then you’ll be much better informed than the majority of people who debate U.K. forestry policy.
tcoatesmicfor.bsky.social
I think the article understates the value of the #timber, but I hope the value to the rural economy and North England GVA comes across. It’s all part of sustainable forest management.

Timber worth £5m stuck in roadless remote forest www.bbc.com/news/article...
Timber stuck rotting in remote Northumberland forest
Uswayford is only accessible via forest tracks and a public road, but has £5m of timber waiting.
www.bbc.com
tcoatesmicfor.bsky.social
Ever wondered what it means to be a Chartered Forester? Give this a watch 👇

@theicf.bsky.social has been a constant throughout my career. It has given me a fantastic network of forestry connections, some who I class as close friends.

What is a Chartered Forester?
youtu.be/kk5wzFF7eGE
What is a Chartered Forester | Forester Asks Questions
YouTube video by Forester Asks Questions
youtu.be
Reposted by Tom Coates
theicf.bsky.social
ICF staff away day highlights 👇

The team met in Carlisle for a member strategy workshop and escape room, plus a special visit to a James Jones & Sons' woodland and tour of their Lockerbie sawmill.

Thanks to Tom Coates MICFor, Neil Cowan MICFor & Tommy Milburn for hosting us.
tcoatesmicfor.bsky.social
Excellent interview with @paulbrannenne.bsky.social for ‘Forester Asks Questions’ about #timber, #climatechange and productive #forests.

How can timber help tackle climate change? | Forester Asks Questions
youtu.be/IfG6VkPrwTg
How can timber help tackle climate change? | Forester Asks Questions
YouTube video by Forester Asks Questions
youtu.be
Reposted by Tom Coates
lwhemmings.bsky.social
Site visit with @tcoatesmicfor.bsky.social , James Jones & Sons for a client of mine last week.
Reposted by Tom Coates
woodknowledgewales.bsky.social
Forestry & Timber News spotlights research on overreliance on imported wood

Major new study published in Confor’s June/July issue of Nature Communications — led by researchers at Bangor Uni and Uni Galway and in collaboration with Woodknowledge Wales: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Tom Coates
andyheald.bsky.social
Looks like plantations on both sides of the track - Beech and possibly Western Hemlock.
If the conifers were thinned and the "hairy" trees brashed along the trackside, there would probably be bluebells there too.
forestryjournal.bsky.social
The UK needs to dramatically improve the condition and scale of its woodlands to tackle loss of native wildlife, mitigate climate change and boost people’s wellbeing, according to a new report.

🔗 www.forestryjournal.co.uk/news/2524159...
Reposted by Tom Coates
andyheald.bsky.social
If we want more lower carbon homes built this way, then we need more well managed forests to grow the timber & fibre. 🌲
tcoatesmicfor.bsky.social
Not the best application for quality #homegrown C16 graded #spruce, but commendable to the café for sticking by its #values and sourcing locally!

More UK #timber in the #built #environment please!
tcoatesmicfor.bsky.social
If you go down to the #woods today… no surprises here: #sustainable #timber #harvesting of #homegrown #conifer #trees 🌲🪵
Reposted by Tom Coates
paulbrannenne.bsky.social
Recently the Forestry Commission asked me to write a blog as part of their Trees to Timber campaign. I was happy to do so and it has now been posted and can be read here: forestrycommission.blog.gov.uk/2025/05/20/t...