Women in Forestry
April 30, 2026 | Holkham voices | 3 minute read
Mai and Minna are foresters in Holkham’s forestry department. Recently they travelled to Wales with support from the Holkham training grant.
Where did you choose to go with the Holkham training grant?
We travelled to the Women in Forestry day-long event hosted by The Royal Forestry Society (RFS) in the Longwood Community Woodland. To make the most of our long journey we also stopped off at the oldest Coastal Redwood Grove in the UK, and Naylor Pinetum in Leighton.
Tell us about the Redwood Grove and why you wanted to visit
We had read about the grove in the Royal Forestry Society’s quarterly Journal and when we planned our trip to Longwood Community Woodland we realised it was on route. We scheduled a call with Jen Taylor from the RFS to learn as much as we could in preparation for our visit.
In 1857 John Naylor planted the first 33 coastal redwoods. The next phase of redwood planting took place in 1934 by the new woodland owner Charles Acker. He bequeathed them to the RFS under the condition they would never be disturbed and today they tower above us reaching almost 50 metres tall, which is only half of the height they reach in their native range.
We were keen to see a woodland that was so different to what we know at Holkham and so unique. But also Coastal and Giant Redwoods are promising species to plant in light of our changing climate so we wanted to see mature specimens – only to learn from Jen that these 50m tall trees are in fact still babies!
And how was your experience at the Longwood Community Woodland?
We were greeted by Beth, their Biodiversity and Engagement Officer. She took us on a tour of the woodland, explaining how it is cared for and managed by its community. With ancient woodland on our right and naturally regenerating woodland on our left, we wound our way to their onsite saw mill and timber framing businesses. They explained how they worked with timber that would otherwise be chipped or used as firewood to build sustainable long-lasting housing. It was great to see their grass-roots trades and hear about the challenges faced by foresters in Wales as oppose to England.
How did this Women in Forestry Day inform you as foresters?
Meeting 15 other women who worked in our sector was an incredibly insightful and inspiring experience. We found that most of our paths into forestry careers were unconventional yet intentional, often we had to seek them out. The older women in the group shared some of the challenges they faced and the barriers they broke down so that we can do our jobs more easily. We ended the day with a strong sense of connection and collective purpose to take forward into our roles at Holkham and throughout the sector.
We are so grateful to Holkham for funding this experience and allowing us to take the initiative in embodying Holkham’s ambitions of developing talent, being a great place to work and going to see what else is out there.
