New Forestry Commissioners for Wales appointed

Her Majesty the Queen has approved the appointment of Jon Owen Jones and Judith Webb as non-executive Forestry Commissioners for Wales.

Mr Jones was a Member of Parliament until 2005, and is a former Minister for the Environment, Farming and Forestry in the Welsh Office. He was also a member of the UK Parliament's Environmental Audit Select Committee, and has a long and distinguished career in Welsh politics, having served in a number of key roles and committees. He will chair the Forestry Commission's National Committee for Wales, which undertakes some of the Forestry Commissioners' functions in Wales.

Mrs Webb has worked extensively in Wales, running her own business specialising in woodland management, land-use policy and conservation schemes. She is a former chair of Defra's Rural Development Service, and a current member of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society's forestry committee, the Forestry Commission's National Committee for England, and a director and trustee of the Deer Initiative. She was also a member of the Commission's Regional Advisory Committee for Wales until 2004, and will step down from the National Committee for England in January.

Mr Jones and Mrs Webb have been appointed for an initial term of three years from 18th January 2007. They replace Anthony Bosanquet and Gareth Wardell, whose terms of office have expired.

Lord David Clark of Windermere, chairman of the Commissioners, welcomed the new appointments, saying,

"I very much welcome Jon Owen Jones and Judith Webb to the Board of Forestry Commissioners, and my colleagues and I look forward to their contributions. They bring with them an enormous amount of experience and expertise that will be invaluable, and they share our vision of the potential for well managed woods and forests to contribute so much to people's lives."

For further information, visit www.forestry.gov.uk/commissioners or contact the Forestry Commission's public enquiry service on 0845 FORESTS (0845 367 3787); e-mail: enquiries@forestry.gsi.gov.uk