Welcome to your course
Welcome to the National School of Forestry, University of Cumbria. We hope that your chosen course will inspire and challenge you. We aim to provide the support you need and hope that you will enjoy your time with us.
Welcome Week
Welcome Week has been designed to give you an interesting and enjoyable start to your course. During the week we will explain more about the course and who to speak to if you feel you need any help. There will be opportunities to get to know staff, each other and students from other courses. There will be some trips to some of the woodlands in the Lake District National Park that you will use to practice what you learn.
We recommend trying to learn to identify common broadleaved tree species such as oak, birch, ash, beech and sycamore.
If you do not already have a driving licence, you will have to learn to drive early in first year in order to have any realistic hope of obtaining placements / jobs in the future.
A good introductory text that I would recommend reading is ‘Woodland Management: A Practical Guide’ by Chris Starr. First published in 2005 by The Crowood Press Ltd. However, I should point out that I am biased because Chris is a recently retired member of staff, and a good friend.
Equipment
Field visits begin during welcome week and continue right through the year, so you will need:
- Waterproof jacket and trousers (£150-£200)
- Walking boots (£50-100)
- Warm hat and gloves (£30)
- Other outdoor clothing e.g. thermals, fleeces, socks, walking type trousers etc. (prices vary)
- Rucksack (ideally with waterproof cover) for day use.
Equipment can be purchased at outdoor and agricultural suppliers. There are lots of outdoor shops in Ambleside that will probably offer student discounts at the beginning of the academic year, so you may wish to buy gear when you first arrive, but bear in mind you will be going out on fieldtrips from the very beginning of the course (hopefully you are looking forward to this aspect of your forestry course).
The following website is also useful:
Contact Us
If you have any questions about your course, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our Admissions team.
