Field Identification Skills Certificate (FISC) Northumberland 2026

FISC 2026 - Northumberland

E3 Ecology is delivering the FISC in partnership with the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) in Northumberland.

The aim of the FISC is to measure your botanical survey skills in a real-life situation. It is a test that assesses your botanical skill level on a scale from 1 (beginner) to 5 (professional), though in exceptional cases 6 may be awarded and while level 7 botanists are out there, it is not possible to test for this. The FISC is recognised within the ecological profession as a standard tool for assessing botanical survey skills.

We’ve proudly been delivering the FISC exam in partnership with the BSBI for several years, supporting candidates in developing and demonstrating their botanical expertise. Over this time, we’ve welcomed a wide range of participants—from keen amateurs to seasoned professionals—and have received positive feedback on both the quality of the assessment and the supportive environment provided. Here’s what some of our previous candidates have said about their experience:

• "Very many thanks to you and your team for running this – the site to survey was very interesting and a really good choice for an exam & the day was very well run and thoroughly enjoyable."
• "It was an enjoyable day, thanks again for running the assessment."
• "Thanks for running the event, it was my first time doing a FISC and it was a great experience."
• "I had a really enjoyable day and was great seeing how it all works. Will looking forward to taking the test again next year."

On the day: The FISC test includes two lab sessions where you need to identify a total of 30 plant specimens and a field test. The first lab test involves identification of 10 species to be attempted without the aid of ID books or guides. You can use ID books or keys in the second lab test to identify a further 20 species samples, but reference collections and online resources including apps are not permitted. The third test is at a field site where you will spend approximately 2 hours recording vascular plant species. There will be a known list of plants already recorded from this site and your species list will be compared against this.

Location: This year's FISC will be held at the Hepple Estate near Rothbury, Northumberland. The Hepple Estate is home to the exciting Hepple Wilds rewilding project which is aiming to restore biodiverse habitats across 4000 acres of upland estate.

Requirements: We will require some volunteer drivers to transport participants from the lab test to the site where you will be performing the field test on the day. You will be informed of the location of the field test on the day. Please ensure you bring with you suitable outdoor clothing including waterproofs and sturdy boots/wellies, sunscreen and a hat, notepad, pens, pencils etc and a weather writer or clipboard. You should bring your preferred choice of ID guides or keys as well as a hand lens. Please bring along a packed lunch and drinks. There will be bathroom facilities available.

Your result will be provided in the form of an electronic certificate from the BSBI showing your level of skill between 1 and 5, or 6 in some exceptional circumstances.

More information can be found on the BSBI website: https://bsbi.org/field-skills

Data Protection: To undertake the FISC, we will require some personal data. This is being requested to manage your FISC assessment and certification. BSBI and E3 Ecology are joint Data Controllers for your data, to fulfil this purpose. Please see our organisations’ Privacy Policies for further details of how your data will be handled and stored. You can request to see the data we hold, request its removal or update your contact preferences at any time by contacting us. To do so, email BSBI on [email protected] or E3 ecology on [email protected]

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