The meeting, which took place at Teifi Timber Products near Lampeter, follows widespread concern in the timber-processing sector at the Welsh government’s decision to establish a single environment body – NRW – to take over the work of the commission, Environment Agency Wales and the Countryside Council for Wales. Many feared a loss of focus on commercial conifer forestry in Wales.
UKFPA executive director David Sulman said Dr Roberts appreciated the significance of the wood-processing industry and the importance of having a profitable wood products sector.
"We took the opportunity to highlight to Dr Roberts the important role that the public forest estate has in underpinning employment in rural areas and the production of low carbon products," said Mr Sulman.
The UKFPA also emphasised the threat to wood supply from the large-scale eletricity generating sector, plus the need to simplify the process of buying wood from the public forest estate in Wales.
