The Dr Cyril Hart Memorial Award
This award is presented to researchers who have received funding support from the Scottish Forestry Trust and who, as a result of their research, have produced publicly available, quality papers through a scientific journal, article or practice note which clearly demonstrates the translation of scientific research into practical information suitable for wider forestry sector consumption. The award may also be given to papers which contribute to the enhancement of silvicultural practice.
The winner of the Award receives a cash prize of £400 and a striking trophy created by Angus Clyne of Perthshire. This living trophy, based on a black three-legged cast iron cooking pot, will be held by the recipient for two years before being returned in advance of the next Award being presented. See a list of award winners here.
The Trophy ‘Pod’
The trophy contains found objects as part of its design. Angus was inspired by memories of the ‘cups and shields’ from his childhood, and the significance of passing the objects from one holder to the other. In the trophy 'pod', he has included “bits of stone, plastic, metal, glass, wood, leaves, seeds and twigs. There is wood from the 'Ancient Yew Tree' at Fortingall, the 'Birnam Oak', the 'Mother Larch' at Dunkeld, along with cone and bark from the Douglas Fir at Scone Palace. Some have been crafted and changed, others left as found and some are so fragile they will be destroyed or altered with the first opening of the 'Pod'.”
From this starting point, each winner is invited to contribute to the contents before returning it. The trophy also contains a USB stick, to which the winner adds their paper.
You can read more about the design of the trophy, and its contents, here.
Who Was Cyril Hart?
The Award is presented in memory of Dr Cyril Hart (1913 -2009), known to many of us through his invaluable book Practical Forestry for the Agent and Surveyor and other publications.
Cyril Hart was born and lived his entire life in the Forest of Dean. Having left school to work for a Gloucestershire estate owner, he became passionate about forestry and used his spare time to qualify as a Land Agent and as a Chartered Surveyor. He also found time to gain forestry-related degrees from Bristol, Oxford and Leicester Universities. During his career, Cyril Hart consulted on forestry issues for clients throughout the UK; however, the Forest of Dean was his overriding preoccupation. In 1952 he was elected by the freeholders of Gloucestershire as one of the county's four Verderers. He subsequently became Her Majesty’s Senior Verderer and went on to become the Forest of Dean’s longest ever serving Verderer. Services to Dean and to forestry contributed to Cyril Hart being honoured with an OBE in 1981.
Amongst Cyril’s many proud professional moments was his receipt of Gold Medals from the Royal Forestry Society and from the Institute of Chartered Foresters. Anthony Hart, Cyril’s son, told the Scottish Forestry Trust that his father “believed in careful research, publishing and thereby imparting knowledge of practical benefit to the widest possible forestry community”.
This Award aims to recognise just that, and the Scottish Forestry Trust are proud to offer this Award in Dr Cyril Hart’s name.