Amanda Bryan appointed Forestry Commissioner

Her Majesty The Queen has approved the appointment of Amanda Bryan as a Forestry Commissioner for Scotland.

Amanda Bryan appointed Forestry Commissioner

Ms Bryan is a self-employed rural development consultant working across the Highlands and Islands, with a background in sustainable marine, rural and community development. She specialises in community consultation and engagement on projects and initiatives championing woodland and biodiversity management, forestry, tourism and recreation.

She has been a non-executive member of the board of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) for six years, and has served as Deputy Chair of SNH North Areas, working at an advisory level. She has served as the Chair of the BBC Scottish Rural Affairs and Agriculture Advisory Committee, and is a member of the Highlands and Islands Forestry Forum and BBC’s Audience Council for Scotland.

She has a keen interest in forestry, both practically, being a local community forest volunteer, and academically.

Ms Bryan has been appointed for an initial term of three years from July 2012, and will also serve on the Forestry Commission’s National Committee for Scotland. Welcoming her appointment, Pam Warhurst, Chair of the Board of Forestry Commissioners, said, “I’m very pleased that Amanda Bryan is joining the Board of Forestry Commissioners. I am confident that her enthusiastic advocacy of the many benefits of trees, woods and forests, and her considerable experience of community engagement in particular, will prove invaluable to us in guiding the work of the Forestry Commission during a period of unprecedented public interest in Britain’s forests.”

For further information visit www.forestry.gov.uk/commissioners