Guardians of our great forests

From his office in Shrewsbury, Martin Brian Jones manages a forest in New York State covering 18.5 million acres - larger than all the forest land within the UK.

He is one of the managing directors of the Woodland Stewardship Company, a company founded in 1996 to manage the conservation, wildlife, recreation and commercial output of forest land.

"We believe a woodland that pays is a woodland that stays," says Martin.

"We help woodland owners, forestry consultants, government agencies and local authorities to manage forests effectively and get maximum benefits, from conservation to timber production and wood fuel."

Martin's job takes him across the country to Wales and Scotland, and further afield to Denmark, Holland and the United States.

He's passionate about his work, but it's a far cry from where he began teaching Business English in Italy and London.

"One of the topics we had to cover on the course was the environment and how forests were declining as a result of acid rain.

"That sparked my interest so I took a Diploma in Countryside Management then did a Masters in Forestry at Edinburgh.

"After graduating, I volunteered with the Shropshire Wildlife Trust and spent six months quantifying conifers on an ancient woodland site in the Hope Valley, which gave me the useful practical experience I needed."

"I'm very fortunate as I can choose which days I'm office-based and which days I'm in the forest, which is useful in this weather!"

Martin says the returns from an effectively managed woodland can be both significant and sustainable.

"The logging industry is still very profitable, but timber for fuel is becoming equally competitive.

"Timber prices have been fairly low since 1996 when they peaked, and in the 10 years that followed, a lot of forest owners closed the gates as it was uneconomical to extract timber at that time.

"But with rising oil prices and wood fuel reported to be the new fuel of the decade, demand for 'certified wood' from a managed forest is pushing the prices up and it's now as competitive as the saw-log market."

But the Woodland Stewardship Company are also involved with preserving the environment and have been encouraging other companies to follow suit.

"Particularly since Copenhagen, there's more pressure for companies to reduce their carbon footprint and get a carbon assessment which includes energy reduction and re-usables.

"More businesses are taking corporate social responsibility for their carbon emissions now, and that's where we come in – we help them to off-set some of their carbon by planting new trees.

"By investing in planting trees that capture carbon dioxide and reduce global warming, we can all make a significant different to our planet."

To find out more, follow the Woodland Stewardship Company on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WoodlandSteward.

By Lara Page