What made you become a member of RSFS?
I was an undergrad doing my BSc in Forestry at Aberdeen University at the time. I joined the ‘big three’ all together: RSFS, RFS and ICF. I’m still a member of them all even though we presently live in Wales.
Where did your interest in forestry begin?
From my very earliest days. I loved the way my older cousins got ‘lost’ in a young ‘thicket-stage’ forest in Perthshire in the early 1970s and there was my uncle calling for them to come back. In all certainty they were very close indeed. And I’ve always loved the sustainable nature of forestry, even as a youngster.
Where is a great place in Scotland that not everyone knows about? I
Duns, Berwickshire, where I first attended primary school. A senior officer in the Forestry Commission once told me I couldn’t say I was ‘from the Borders’ because Duns didn’t have a recognised rugby team, like Gala or Hawick. But there are some fascinating historical sites nearby, such as those involving Edward I, Edward III and James IV.
Do you have a favourite tree and why?
Sycamore, because my friends and I had to ‘dodge’ around a mature specimen on our housing estate in Duns whenever there was a storm (so we weren’t struck by lightning). My aunt’s house overlooked the original Corstorphine sycamore with its golden foliage in the spring. And I recently visited Christ Church, Oxford, to see the sycamore leaves carved on the medieval tomb of Saint Frideswide.
Can you give us a book, movie, TV show or podcast recommendation? It doesn’t have to be forestry related!
I’m always too busy reading to watch a movie and I can’t single out a favourite book as I have a huge bookcase of forestry books. So many, in fact, that I now write a regular column for the ICF’s TREES magazine titled ‘A Forester’s Bookcase’, where I dip into my collection. I also regularly review books for the RSFS Journal.
What do you think is an important issue in forestry today?
Education for forestry and tree professionals and general knowledge of forestry and arboriculture for everyone else. My pet hate is anyone who implies our work is ‘just a tree’.
Outside of forestry, what is a hobby or activity you enjoy?
Music. I’ve always played something from violin in my school orchestra to accordion in a Scottish Country Dance Band. I sometimes play concert harp for weddings and, here in Wales, I’m the deputy conductor of our local Welsh male voice choir.
What was your first job?
Forest Surveyor in Aberdeenshire for the Forestry Commission in the mid-1980s. It was this experience that convinced me that forestry would be my life’s work and passion.
What do you love most about forests or forestry?
It has to be the people. I’ve met so many interesting and committed individuals working in our profession. It’s quite unique in that regard.