Natural Resources Wales replaces Forestry Commission
Merger debate
As a justification for the merger, the Welsh Government claimed that the new body would produce savings of £158 million over ten years. Whilst the three agencies were broadly supportive of the move, the board appointed by Environment minister John Griffiths did not include any representatives from the forestry sector, and Forestry Commission Wales chairman Jon Owen Jones - the former Welsh Labour MP for Cardiff Central - raised concerns that the forestry industry's voice would not be adequately heard in the new organisation.