All change at the top of PEFC UK

fter 13 years heading up PEFC in the UK, Executive Director Alun Watkins will be retiring at the end of June 2023.

Since joining PEFC UK in January 2010, Alun has worked tirelessly with stakeholders from all sectors of the forest products supply chain – from the construction and forestry sectors to furniture and latterly, even fashion, to promote the benefits of PEFC certification and the role of certified material in helping to meet global low carbon targets.

At the same time, he has always been keen to add value to the hundreds of UK companies who have invested in PEFC certification, by offering support, training, and promotional tools to help certified companies make the most of their PEFC credentials.

“I am obviously sad to be leaving the team in Sheffield and saying goodbye to some fantastic colleagues in the forest products world,” Alun commented. “Not just in the UK but across PEFC’s global al liance. It has been a fab ulous 13 years, and it has been very satisfying to see interest in reducing car bon and protecting the environment gather pace in recent years. It mustn’t stop.

“But retirement beckons, and it is time for a fresh face at the helm to drive the organisation forward. John has a great deal of knowledge and experience to draw on, so I know that I am leaving PEFC UK in very capable hands.”

Alun will be succeeded by John Kirkby, most recently Principal Technical Consultant at 2C Consultancy Limited and well-versed in the world of certification and the demands of forestry. John has had several roles in the timber products industry and for the last 10 years he has specialised in helping companies across the UK gain chain of custody certification.

His clients have included sawmills, printers, joinery companies and builders’ merchants – both large and small. This means John will bring his knowledge of working with the key business sectors that make up PEFC UK’s membership to the organisation.

John said: “I am delighted to be joining PEFC as Executive Director. Demand for sustainably sourced products, such as PEFC’s, continues to grow in the UK market.

My aim is to increase this even further and build on the fantastic work that Alun and the PEFC UK team have undertaken over the last decade to maximise the benefits of certification to all our stakeholders.”

Free woodland advice for crofters and smallholders

Free advisory visits offering help to access grants for tree planting and woodland management are being offered to crofters and smallholders.

The Scottish Government’s Farm Advisory Service, delivered by SAC Consulting - part of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), is working in partnership with Woodland Trust Scotland to provide advice on agroforestry and help crofting communities establish new woodland.

The Woodland Trust Scotland’s

Croft Woodland Project also provides support to establish hedges and shelterbelts and manage existing woodlands.

There is little tradition of woodland management in crofting as, until 1991, these rights were reserved for landowners, not their crofting tenants.

However, there are many benefits to planting trees on crofts, from improving productivity and offering opportunities for diversification, to increasing carbon capture and providing habitats for wildlife.