THE managing director of a sustainable forestry enterprise has told of his "honour" after being named as the UK's Professional Forester of the Year. 

TreeStory's Gordon Brown fought off tough competition to claim the coveted award in its second iteration, pipping the likes of Forestry England's Dr Eleanor Tew to the prize. 

Presented by the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) at this week's Confor Awards, the gong recognises contributions to the betterment of forestry on a community, regional, national or international level. 

“It is such an honour to have received this award, especially given the high calibre of the other nominees," Gordon said. "I am incredibly grateful to the Institute for their recognition, and for the role they have played in the development of my career."

Founded in 2018, TreeStory was the first woodland and habitat consultancy in the UK to be awarded B Corp accreditation.

Gordon developed the TreeStory Woodland Charter to ensure all their projects put nature first through detailed, integrated management plans, based on his belief that producing high quality, local timber, as well as natural capital, can be done sustainably.

He added: "As we are now in our fifth year at TreeStory, it is a hugely appreciated and timely recognition of all the hard work that has gone into trying to create a business committed to building a future where people and planet can thrive together.”

Chair of the judging panel, Steve McCartney, said: “Gordon’s career has traversed public, charity and private sector roles, and he has used his wide-ranging experience to found TreeStory, championing sustainable forestry and the benefits it offers to landscapes, resources and ecosystems.

"He combines his mantra that well-managed trees, woodlands and forests make the world a better place with a fierce value placed on people – treating them as he would like to be treated, speaking to others in finance, ecology and peatland management, and helping all to understand the critical role of professionalism within forestry.

"The judging panel and I found a clear and worthy winner in a strong field of shortlisted candidates.”