Vacancy: new post of Director of Forestry Research and Enterprise

As part of the development of research at Inverness College, University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), a new post of Director ofForestry Research and Enterprise has been created to fully realise the potential for developing research, commercial activity and knowledge transfer at the Scottish School of Forestry. This is an exciting time to join the College and UHI, with a move to the Inverness new campus in 2015, together with bespoke facilities and new building at the SSF Balloch campus.  This new Director post offers a dynamic, innovative and highly motivated individual a significant opportunity to create a thriving centre for forestry research closely linked to an expanding and diversifying forestry industry.

Visit by Swiss PhD students

Research staff at the College, in partnership with Wester Ross Fisheries Trust, were asked to introduce aspects of fisheries management and vegetation history to conservation management PhD student from the University of Zurich in early July. The students were based at the SNH Beinn Eighe field station at Anancaun for a week, studying a range of conservation management issues. Eric Verspoor of the Rivers and Lochs Institute and Peter Cunningham of Wester Ross Fisheries Trust, introduced the realities of fisheries management, fisheries genetics and biodiversity before leading an electrofishing expedition on the River Bruachaig.  The students were fortunate to see both salmon and trout fry caught during the electrofishing sampling. Salmon fry above the usually impassable Bruachaig falls was a particularly significant find.

Rivers and Lochs Institute at Scottish Game Fair

The Rivers and Lochs Institute has been out and about in the last few weeks.  We had a stand at the Scottish Game Fair as part of the Fishery Education, Research and Policy area. The event is led and organised by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, and in the fishery area they featured their research into salmonid spawning and migration on the River Frome in Dorset. The charity Buglife ensured all our river invertebrate ID skills were updated with a daily kick sample from the nearby River Tay, and the tray full of river life was a good draw for children and parents.  RAFTS had a wide ranging stand featuring a number of River trusts across Scotland and a profile of the LIFE pearl mussel project.  The big crowd puller was the Tweed Forum catchment model - expertly presented by the Tweed team and perfectly illustrating the issues of surface water run-off in modified catchments. A lunch with MSP Nigel Don developed some interesting discussions around fishery issues, and as the sun shone and Andy Murray won at Wimbledon, the three days was particularly enjoyable and successful.