Our Board

Willie McGhee
Chair

Willie is a practicing forester who has worked in commercial and community forestry since 1990. He started his career with Forest Enterprise in Aberfoyle District) and surveyed forests for Shotton Forest Management (South Scotland, North Wales), the University of Edinburgh (Glentress Continuous Cover plots), Forest Enterprise Scotland (Aberfoyle) and in Forest Enterprise Wales (Ceredigion). He was a founding Director of the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management and worked overseas developing the Plan Vivo carbon trading system with local communities and farmers groups.

He was Director of Borders Forest Trust from 1996 to 2011, a Trustee and latterly Chair of Scottish Power’s Green Energy Trust (2002-2018), founder and Director of the Southern Upland Partnership (1999-2004), a Trustee on the Scottish Forestry Trust (2003-2012), a Director of the Millennium Forest for Scotland Trust (1996-2006) and served on two Forestry Commission Advisory Panels (Native Woodland – 1996-1999, Forests for People- 2000-2006) and is a founding member of the Forest Policy Group (2008-present). He is an advocate of community forestry and works as a forestry consultant on community land ownership.

Nick Marshall

Trustee

Nick Marshall is a trustee of The Field Group (Duddingston), a 2.5ha community woodland near the centre of Edinburgh.  He trained in forestry and ecology and worked in community forestry in Africa for 6 years, followed by SNH and RSPB.  He worked for Millenium Forest and then Reforesting Scotland, helping with the setting up of the CWA and co-editing the Community Woodland Handbook.  After 20 years as coordinator for the Association of Scottish Hardwood Sawmillers, he retired in 2021 but stays busy with several local community projects.

Alison MacLennan
Trustee

Alison is Chair of Broadford and Strath Community Company. She has 25 years experience with RSPB, with responsibility for all aspects of research, advisory, habitat management, interpretation, project planning and management, staff management and fund raising in Skye & Wester Ross. Alison has a Masters degree in Natural Resource Management and a PhD in Geology / Palynology.

Gordon Gray Stephens
Company Secretary

Gordon Gray Stephens has been a director of the Native Woods Cooperative (Scotland) Ltd (2012-present). He served on the Forestry Commission for People Advisory Panel (2004-6), was a founding member of the Forest Policy Group (2008-present), and was also one of the founding directors of CWA.