The Forestry Commission is making a contribution to tackling climate change through the sustainable forest management of the nation’s forests and woodlands, however as a large organisation we have our own environmental impact. We want to improve and demonstrate what can be done through best practice within our own organisation. We hope that our new policy of using wood for buildings such as visitor centres and offices, with great attention paid to sustainable use of resources, will generate wider enthusiasm and encourage organisations and individuals to follow suit.
We have put together some case studies (opposite) to show areas of best practice, and we hope to expand these so that our experiences can be shared across the organisation and beyond.
Most importantly, we mustn’t forget our impact as an organisation of people – foresters, administrators, scientists, engineers, wildlife rangers, people in grey suits going to meetings, and more – the way that we work has an impact on the environment. Each of us must play a part in facing the challenges of climate change – and each of us must try and reduce our impact on the environment by improving our working practices. Within the Forestry Commission staff at all levels are already pressing ahead with improvements, and many of these are being formalised into our developing corporate sustainability policy, 'Greenerways'.