Sir William Worsley, chair of the Forestry Commission, visited the company’s new mill development in Durham yesterday during a tour of the north of England.
The visit comes as Sir William approaches the end of his second three-year term as chair. He has recently issued a joint statement with Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, highlighting the importance of increasing the use of British timber. The UK currently imports around 80% of the wood it uses each year, making it the world’s second-largest net importer of timber after China. The two environmental leaders described the issue as “a matter of national security”.
Sir William was accompanied by Kevin May, forest management director for the North England district. The visit was seen as particularly significant, with Sir William due to hand over the role of chair to a new incumbent in the coming months. He has been a strong advocate for the role of the public forest estate in boosting domestic timber production.
Michael and Lisa from James Jones & Sons led a tour of the new mill development, with visitors impressed by the scale of the project and the progress achieved to date.