Deer Officer

Never has there been a more important time for trees and forests to help tackle the climate emergency and provide a much-needed sanctuary for people and wildlife. Our Government are committed to creating 30,000 hectares of woodland a year across the UK, of which 7,500 ha per year are anticipated to be in England. This acceleration in current planting rates in England will contribute to meeting the net-zero by 2050 ambitions, and to government's wider environmental targets. This was supported by the announcement in the 2021 budget of £640m for a new Nature for Climate Fund 'to support natural habitats like woodland and peat' and the publication of the England Tree Action Plan. The Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission have set up a joint tree planting programme for England to support the forestry sector, landowners and communities in the delivery of these ambitions. The Forestry Commission wants wild deer to be part of sustainable forestry in England. However, wild deer have a negative impact on woods and forests, preventing young trees from establishing by eating growing shoots and damaging older trees by stripping and fraying bark. High densities of deer can have negative impacts on woodland biodiversity by significantly changing the structure of the understory and by overgrazing on ground flora. A range of Government policies state that there is a need to increase tree cover and the quality of our existing woodlands in England; insufficient deer management risks these targets being realised. Deer browsing also has major implications for woodland resilience in the face of climate change and tree disease (Tree Heath & Resilience Strategy). Natural regeneration will not happen without management of deer browsing. By joining the Forestry Commission, you will become part of a team of passionate, committed colleagues, and be able to build on a wealth of expertise to take this ambitious work forward. You will be able to make your mark by helping the Forestry Commission to revolutionise how we work together and reach new stakeholders. Our staff engagement levels are consistently well above the Civil Service average and staff turnover is well below. We value our people, we look after them, and we will look after you. We hope you will join us for the challenge. You will be part of the SEL or SW Area team and line managed by one of their respective Partnerships & Expertise Managers, with the Deer Advisor (part of the national Policy Advice team) as your countersigning officer. As such, your work will be directed and delivered locally but with national oversight and strategic steer. The Deer Officer plays a critical role as the interface between Forest Services and landowners, land managers and forestry agents in providing advice and facilitation for the management of wild deer to reduce their impacts on woodland condition and establishment. The Deer Officer role involves engaging with woodland owners, agents and stakeholders to provide guidance and advice on deer impacts on woodlands and how they can be managed, with an aim of encouraging and enabling collaborative, landscape scale deer management activities. The role will also look to share best practice among the deer community to ensure the sustainable management of deer populations in a safe, humane manner. You will be expected to have strong experience and understanding of the issues regarding deer management, and be able to demonstrate an existing or be able to gain a rapid understanding of how these issues impact on the objectives and activities of the Forestry Commission (both Forest Services and Forestry England - managers of the Nation's forests), Natural England, Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), and wider government. You will be expected to show initiative and to work autonomously, and to establish excellent working relationships with colleagues. You will work with the Area Team, Policy Advice Team colleagues (specifically natural environment specialists), woodland owners and managers, stalkers and deer interest groups, using your knowledge, experience and sound judgement to reduce the long term impact of deer on the condition of woodlands. You will work alongside Woodland Officers and specialist delivery colleagues (such as Woodland Creation Officers) to ensure the delivery of Government forestry policy through the interpretation and effective use of advice, incentives and regulations when advising woodland owners and their agents in reviewing/developing plans to manage deer. Coordinating your work with other Deer Officers and the Deer Advisor, you will feedback lessons learned to Area and National Teams to help refine and promote best practice. This role will require some evening and possibly limited weekend work for which overtime or time off in lieu may be payable. If your home lies out-with your work area you will be expected to travel to your work area or designated parent office in your own time and cost. Key Work Areas 1. Facilitate effective woodland management planning that incorporates active deer management measures: Using influencing skills and your knowledge and experience of forestry and deer management, engage with woodland owners and their agents to encourage them to undertake deer management in their woodlands and at the landscape scale.

• Raise awareness among landowners, managers and agents as to the importance of deer management, individually or via group events, making the messages relevant to the audience and their interests.
• Encourage collaboration between neighbouring landowners, recognising that landscape scale approaches provide the more effective outcomes.
• Provide advice and guidance on suitable deer management and control measures, and facilitate their implementation.
• Empower Woodland Officers to make better decisions in their advice to woodland owners and their agents when reviewing/developing plans to manage deer in their woods
• Encourage owners to produce or update existing UKFS compliant management plans. This could include encouraging applications for Countryside Stewardship woodland management planning grant.
2. Develop and disseminate good - or best - working practices: Working as part of the Area team, you will share knowledge and experience through working with operational staff, policy makers, owners, agents and stalkers to:
• Work closely with national and Area colleagues to build networks and run events to effectively build and disseminate best practice among the landowner/manager and deer communities.
• Engage with woodland owners, managers and contractors, and specialist deer and wildlife management groups such as the Deer Initiative Partnership to represent the FC position and share your expertise.
• Use your experience on the ground to contribute to national FS discussions on the management of deer including recommending updates to policy, guidance and regulation where these are proving a barrier to engagement or uptake.
• Make active personal use of social media to raise awareness and share best practice and advice.
3. Identify priority areas for deer management with Area team