A LEADING rural estate agent has been appointed a new head of forestry for the north region.

Savills, which until recently had a base in Corbridge, has appointed Mark Gordon as both a director and head of forestry for the north.

Mark will be responsible for advising clients, including rural estates, farmers, public bodies and commercial forestry investors, on all aspects of tree and woodland management.

Mark, a chartered forester, has over 20 years forestry experience across the private, public, and voluntary sectors.

David Goodson, head of the rural, energy and projects division for Savills in the north, says: “We are very pleased to be welcoming Mark to the team.

"He has extensive experience in management and consulting within the woodland and vegetation management sectors, which will benefit our client base enormously.

"His broad ranging experience, coupled with a strong understanding of upland farming issues, perfectly complements our existing capabilities throughout the region and further enhances the service we can provide our clients.”

Prior to joining Savills, Mark held a number of senior roles, and was project lead and site manager for the woodland trust for the last six years.

His achievements included developing an initial concept into a £6 million project to restore a neglected historical estate.

He has also worked on numerous woodland projects on private estates and brownfield sites.

This included a "woodlands from waste" initiative where he oversaw the planting of over 150,000 woodland trees over 75 hectares.

Mark comments: "I am very happy to be joining one of the largest in-house forestry teams in the UK.

"There are a number of opportunities for landowners, particularly within the timber market, to improve the value of their assets.

"With many years’ experience in tree and woodland management, and within a region I am very familiar with, I am confident of providing added value to our clients through carbon offsetting, woodland creation and existing grant and timber income streams.

"It is an exciting time for the forestry sector.”

Research from Savills earlier this year showed the value of the UK forestry investment market was just over £121 million during the 2019 forest year,.

Analysis of the 2019 sales data showed the average gross forest value increased by 17 per cent to £9,900 per hectare - although forestry values are diverse and price is dependent on a range of factors.