15 minutes with...Baroness Young, chair of the Forestry Commission

In this episode, we sit down with Baroness (Barbara) Young, the newly appointed Chair of the Forestry Commission, for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of trees and woodland in England.Barbara shares her vision for what success looks like on trees — from timber in construction and flood risk management to air quality and human health — and explains why getting the right tree in the right place matters more than ever.We explore whether woodland is becoming a sound business decision for farmers and landowners, the challenges of natural capital markets for smaller operators, and why policy certainty is so critical when woodland decisions can span generations.Barbara also gives her take on the land use framework, the role of devolution in place-based decision making, and the thorny question of grey squirrels and deer — including a surprisingly practical suggestion for the NHS on venison.And to finish, she shares the woods and trees that mean the most to her personally.Topics covered:Trees as a multi-benefit crop: climate, timber, health, and biodiversityMaking woodland economics work for farmers and estatesNatural capital markets and the risk of a two-tier systemPolicy certainty and cross-government coordinationThe land use framework and devolutionGrey squirrels: the missing action planDeer management and the venison marketFavourite trees and woodlands