After retiring from his role as Principal Adviser for External Funding at Natural England in 2024, Institute Fellow, Huw Davies FICFor, was recently appointed a trustee of Woodland Heritage. Huw has written a blog sharing his thoughts on this new voluntary role and the important work being delivered by Woodland Heritage.
I’ve recently been successful in the competition to become a trustee of the charity Woodland Heritage (WH) after being made aware of the trustee vacancies by the Institute, where their Technical Policy Manager, Caroline Harrison MICFor, is also a trustee.
Having retired from Natural England last year, I thought that looking for a trustee position would be a great way to use some newly available time by volunteering and giving something back to the profession that has supported me for the past 40 years.
WH is a very small charity, trying to re-establish a woodland culture in the UK, to make many more people aware of the huge importance of wood and timber in our past, present and future. We need both to grow more trees and support thriving timber businesses in the UK to meet the challenges of climate change and the needs of society for spaces for recreation and health of local populations.
While there are many environmental charities, including some specialising in woodland ownership and management, WH is the key charity that links the environmental benefits of trees and woodlands with the understanding of the need to use UK grown timber in sustainable and profitable uses in construction, manufacturing and furniture. This will contribute to a green, sustainable, more economic future, making Britain less reliant on imported timber and spreading the understanding of our fantastic woodland culture.
WH exists to promote a sustainable timber supply chain within the UK, through actions in its own demonstration woodlands and its small sawmilling business, Whitney Sawmills, which processes oak, Douglas fir and a range of native and exotic hardwoods.
This work can be seen this summer in a series of demonstrations at timber businesses and woodlands across the country at the series of Open Woods and Workshops taking place. I hope lots of Institute members will join me in attending a workshop and spread the word further about this important little charity.
Huw Davies FICFor
