A united voice for the forestry sector has been created with the official launch of the Forestry and Timber Association (FTA).
The group has been formed by the merger of the Association of Professional Foresters (APF) and the Timber Growers Association (TGA), and is intended to ‘give a powerful, independent voice to lead, influence and gain respect from industry and government’ (TTJ, November 7).
The interim board has now been announced and is drawn equally from the APF and TGA, with Roger Venables as chairman and former TGA chief executive John Gunn as chief executive for the first four months to ensure a smooth transition period.
Mr Venables, from the well-known hardwood sawmilling family, said: ‘I know that members, totalling around 2,500, from both former organisations are keen to make the FTA stride ahead as the new leader in the growing end of the forest industry.’
Further ‘launches’ will be held at the four national agricultural shows this summer, while the APF Exhibition at Lockerbie on September 25-28 will be the major opportunity for the industry to meet staff, officers and members.
Regional meetings will be held in the first half of March, followed by the first AGM on April 30, when a new board will be elected. A business plan and budget are currently being formulated.
The FTA has launched Forestry & Timber News, a new publication created from the merger of the TGA’s Timber Grower newsletter and the APF News and it is now working on its new logo.
