This webinar has been organised by the ICF in partnership with NWR and funded by FFF.
Event Overview
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is in place to consider the effects of agricultural projects on the environment. This webinar will provide an overview of the application process for an EIA screening in Wales, focussing on woodland creation.
The session will cover:
An introduction to Forestry EIA
Natural Resources Wales’ guidance pages
Online application forms
Information on what is required to submit a request for an EIA opinion.
Chair - Eirian Macdonald
Eirian is a Principal Advisor for Strategic Projects working within the Regulation and Permitting department in Natural Resources Wales (NRW). She originally trained as an Industrial Chemist and worked in the chemical industry for 15 years before joining the Environment Agency in 2002 as a Regulatory Officer for industrial sites. Since joining NRW Eirian has worked in various areas of the organisation including within the operational, permitting and policy functions. Since early 2020 Eirian has acted as Project Manager for the review of the NRW process for assessing applications received under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Forestry) regulations.
Speakers & Panel
Nick Fackrell
Nick is the Senior Officer within the Forest Regulation and Tree Health team within NRW, working under his Team Leader Andrew Wright. He trained as a Forester in 2004 at the National School of Forestry in Newton Rigg which included a short 18month post with the Dartmoor National Park Authority. After graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Forest and Woodland Management, Nick undertook a role as Trees and Woodlands Officer at Somerset County Council before joining the Forestry Commission Wales as a Woodland Officer within the Grants and Regulations team. During this time, he processed Felling Licence Applications, Better Woodlands For Wales Grant Schemes and also investigated reports of Alleged Illegal Felling. After a period of 5 years, Nick then moved to a new role within Natural Resources Wales’ (NRW’s) National Forest Planning Team and was responsible for the development of Forest Resource Plans within South East Wales for another period of 5 years. Nick then moved into a senior forestry officer role within NRW’s Forestry Permitting team for a short period where he developed his knowledge of the Forestry permitting process. Nick’s current role in the Forest Regulation and Tree Health team involves working closely with the 4 Regulatory Woodland Officers, working across Wales. Nick also works to provide guidance and improve the process for Forest Regulation in Wales.
Lajla Cash
Lajla is the Lead Specialist Advisor within the Water, Land, Biodiversity and Marine Regulatory Approaches team within Natural Resources Wales. She trained as a Forester at Bangor University which included a 12-month student placement with Forest Enterprise in their East Anglia District. After graduating in 1998, Lajla worked in the private sector and as a contractor before taking up a position in Forestry Commission Wales in the Agency Business Unit managing the woodland and open green spaces on the Welsh trunk roads. After several year, Lajla took up the role of managing the Welsh fleet of silvicultural machines, managing the program of works within Wales, but also reaching into England and Scotland and supporting Learning and Development with delivering ground preparation courses. Lajla then moved on to managing the Plant! project where Welsh Government pledges to plant a tree for every baby born in Wales, working in partnership with Woodland Trust and local authorities in Wales to secure many publicly accessible sites for new woodland planting. With the formation of NRW in 2013, Lajla took up a North Wales Woodland Officer role in the Grants and Regulations team working with private sector woodland owners and agents on their felling licence applications, Environmental Impact Assessments, Better Woodlands For Wales Grant Schemes and also investigated reports of Alleged Illegal Felling. After about 5 years, Lajla moved to Woodland Creation Advisor in NRW and successfully developed a project and secured funding to increase the Welsh Government Woodland Estate to compensate for woodland lost to windfarm developments and facilitated the purchase of the first sites. Lajla’s current role bridges the gap between policy and the frontline of Forest Regulation and Permitting teams by providing training and guidance for both internal and external audiences.
Suzanne Lilley-Owen
Suzanne is the Team Leader for the Forestry Permitting Team in NRW. She began her career with Forestry Commission Wales in 1994 working at the Forest District Office in Llanrwst. She had a number of roles over the years – Office Manager of the district office, Management Accountant for the North and Mid Wales, Project Manager for the Forestry Commission Wales Contact Centre, her last role with Forestry Commission Wales was working for the Forest Regulations and Grant Team as the Office Manager dealing with BWW grant applications and felling licences. In 2015, following the formation of Natural Resources Wales, Suzanne became the Team Leader for the Forestry Permitting Team who assess, register, process and determine forestry permits for the whole of Wales.
Booking
Bookings for this event are being made directly with the ICF