Till Restoration Project Officer

This is an exciting opportunity to deliver positive environmental change on the ground to improve habitats in the River Till catchment in north Northumberland. Working with farmers, landowners, land agents and partner organisations, the post-holder will help develop and deliver woodland creation and river restoration projects.

One of the key parts of the Forum’s work is to create a network of riparian woodland and healthy river systems throughout the catchment, which will deliver a range of benefits including flood protection, improved water quality and improvements for salmon fisheries, as well as helping to tackle the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.

The River Tweed is a SSSI and SAC and one of the most famous salmon rivers in the world, but its fish populations are threatened by climate change and the adverse effects of decades of habitat loss and land use intensification. Tree planting is a vital element of Tweed Forum’s work, bringing multiple benefits for the river environment and helping to provide the cool, clean waters and biologically rich environment that support the life cycle of salmon, from spawning to juvenile development and beyond. The charity has planted over 1.5 million trees to date but many more are needed.

The Great Northumberland Forest is a plan to plant millions of trees, creating more wooded landscapes across the county by 2030. This will help tackle the big challenges facing society, such as climate change, biodiversity decline, promoting health and wellbeing, and supporting a thriving local economy.

The Till River Restoration Strategy is a partnership between Tweed Forum, Environment Agency and Natural England that aims to protect and improve the Till river system in areas not achieving their potential conservation value. The aim of the strategy is to restore as much functionality and characteristic river habitat as possible whilst taking into account the need to protect people and critical infrastructure from flood risk.

Since the implementation phase began in 2013, the TRRS has delivered a wide range of habitat improvements across the catchment. In recent years, the interest from farmers and landowners is growing, as is the number of funding opportunities.

The role will be focused in the River Till catchment of the Tweed in north Northumberland and will be split between woodland creation and river restoration (as part of the Till River Restoration Strategy) although many projects are likely to meet both objectives.

There is also the opportunity to get involved in other areas of Forum work that might include peatland restoration; access and recreational improvements; education and interpretation.