Todmorden woman is first female chair of Forestry Commission
TREES must form a central part of our future said Pam Warhurst, who has been appointed the first chairwoman of the Forestry Commission.
"I'm delighted to have been offered this position, especially at such a pivotal time when there are so many issues to consider," said Pam, who will be in post for the next three years.
"The Forestry Commission is a great organisation that has a good reputation for action and delivering, rather than just talking. They are a great bunch of people; very positive and I'm looking forward to working with them."
Pam said the commission has a significant commercial arm and helps educate people about the countryside but she hopes to expand this expertise further into towns and urban areas.
"This is a great job because people get trees; people love their woodlands and forests and they know how important they are for the environment.
"I want to work more in our cities and urban centres; get more trees planted and educate people so they understand their importance. Planting trees has a huge impact on climate change.
"If people were more sensitive to their environment I think we do have a chance of giving our kids a better future."
Pam will continue to chair Pennine Prospects and maintain her involvement in Incredible Edible Todmorden (IET).
"I'm not taking my foot off IET. All the things I'm involved in are all pointing in the same direction; they're all linked."
Pam also hopes to support a national programme of tree planting at hospitals, including introducing orchards, similar to the scheme that saw the planting of fruit trees at Todmorden Health Centre.
Director general of the Forestry Commission, Tim Rollinson, said: "Pam Warhurst brings a wealth of experience in fields new to the Forestry Commission but which will be important to us as we continue to develop to meet the rapidly changing needs of society.
"I am very much looking forward to working with her."
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Weather for Halifax
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 0 C
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