THE outgoing forestry minister for England has been praised for her commitment to the industry in the wake of her shock resignation.
Trudy Harrison, the MP for Copeland, confirmed she had stood down from the post amid a series of government reshuffles, sackings, and resignations this week, which also saw Steve Barclay replace Thérèse Coffey as environment secretary at Defra.
Ms Harrison, who had only been in the position since October 2022, had been praised by many in forestry for her commitment to the sector, and said to have engaged positively on a range of important issues, including a Timber in Construction roadmap and the National Wood Strategy for England.
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Speaking in the wake of her resignation, Stuart Goodall, chief executive of trade body Confor, said: “Confor enjoyed a very constructive relationship with Trudy Harrison MP and we were very grateful for her enthusiastic support for the forestry and wood processing industry.
"The Minister’s attendance at Confor's London conference in December 2022 was a breakthrough moment as she agreed to work with us on the development of a National Wood Strategy for England and promised to take a chainsaw to the time it takes to get approval to plant in England.
"The Minister also demonstrated a genuine interest in timber production and the benefits it can deliver for rural economies, employment and the environment and made clear that she saw conifers as a good thing to be encouraged."
Among other previously arranged engagements, Ms Harrison was due to be a keynote speak at Confor's annual conference in December, where the National Wood Strategy will be officially launched.
Her time in office also saw "encouraging changes" made to both the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) and Countryside Stewardship (CS) schemes, England's tree-planting rates rise, and the Forestry Commission's woodland creation consultation process given a long-awaited rejig.
Stuart added: "We hope that a number of other initiatives that she was working on will be announced in the coming weeks, including an updated strategy on squirrels and deer, and further work to reduce the processing time for planting applications.
"On a personal level, I found Trudy to be a hard-working and proactive Minister who was never afraid to ask challenging questions.
"She described our sector as one of the areas she found most enjoyable to work with and where she wanted to make a difference during her time in office.
"I know that she had hoped to at least be in post for a few more months to oversee the launching of so many initiatives that she had personally helped to drive forward and I am genuinely sorry that won’t be the case."
Robbie Moore, the MP Keighley and Ilkley, is likely to replace Ms Harrison in the role, having been appointed as a Defra minister this week, but his portfolio is yet to be officially confirmed.
Stuart added: "On behalf of Confor I have thanked Trudy for her support and we all wish her well for the future. I have now written to the new minister and I hope we will enjoy a similarly productive relationship with her successor.”
In a statement, Ms Harrison said: "I would like to recognise the enormous efforts and talents of all those I have had the pleasure of working alongside, in particular my Private Office and the Defra family, the Forestry Commission, Natural England and the JNCC - the agencies that I have been responsible for."
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