The Society of Irish Foresters introduced a programme of Continuous Professional Development in 2003, as a means of confirming that professional foresters are keeping up to date in current forestry practice and other topics relevant to their professional development.
This programme was revised in 2016 with support from the Forest Service, Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine, under the Knowledge Transfer and Information Action measure of the Forestry Programme 2014 – 2020. The revised programme is industry led and representatives of the forestry and timber industry have been appointed to the CPD Review Board which oversees the programme.
This programme will ensure that Forestry Professionals possess the relevant knowledge and skills to meet the needs of their clients and the industry on an ongoing basis and will help them to avoid professional obsolescence. This will be of considerable benefit to those who depend on consumer confidence to attract and maintain clients. It will also help to separate those who are professional foresters, from those who are not, but yet purport to be. A key advantage of this programme is that it will continuously record the extent to which you are upgrading your knowledge of forestry and professional standards
All technical foresters are invited to engage in this Programme especially those those who are working as professional foresters, or those offering a related professional service. The Register of Foresters on the Forest Service’s website will indicate which registered foresters are maintaining their CPD accreditation.
The Society of Irish Foresters will facilitate members to maintain good standing within the CPD Programme, not least by providing information on upcoming appropriate courses and events. Relevant events provided by other organisations will also be advertised.
A CPD management system has been developed. On joining, each participant will receive 180 points. Thereafter, 15 points will be deducted each quarter. An additional 15 points will be deducted at the end of the year if a registered participant has not attended any CPD event in that year. To be CPD accredited a minimum balance of 60 CPD points is required.
| CPD Classification | Event Classification | Points |
|---|---|---|
| A | Single Lecture (half day) | 15 |
| B | Field Day (half day) | 15 |
| C | Symposium (half day) | 15 |
| D | Workshop (half day) | 15 |
| E | Single Lecture (full day) | 30 |
| F | Field Day (full day) | 30 |
| G | Symposium (full day) | 30 |
| H | Workshop (full day) | 30 |
| I | Two day + courses | 45 |
| J | Study tour > 2 days | 45 |
| K | L7 Study Programme | 45 |
| L | L8 Study Programme | 45 |
| M | L9 Study Programme | 45 |
| N | L10 Study Programme | 45 |
CPD points will be appropriately allocated to other event on a case by case basis.
You can now REGISTER ONLINE to apply for participation in the Society of Irish Foresters CPD Programme
Click here to go to the CPD website home page