Rob Mackenzie, Trustee
Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Birmingham and the inaugural Director of the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR), Rob brings invaluable expertise to the board in how plants affect air composition, tree resilience, and urban green infrastructure.
Since 2012, Rob has been working in the West Midlands, where he set up a research institute looking at how forests can help us live sustainably.
When did you become a trustee?
December 2024
Why did you choose to give your time and get involved with the charity?
I moved to the West Midlands in 2012 and shortly afterwards set up a research institute looking at how forests can help us live sustainably. Setting up the institute involved learning about the intellectual - and physical! – forest landscape in order to see how research could most usefully contribute. The West Midlands is blessed with a richness and diversity of forests of all kinds, and I was delighted when the opportunity arose to become involved in the Heart of England Forest having admired it from nearby for over a decade.
What expertise do you bring to the trustee role?
I am an environmental chemist who has worked mostly on air pollution and climate, especially how trees change the composition of the air around them, which often benefits us by providing cleaner air and a more manageable climate. This detailed scientific work is often carried out within large teams looking at the sustainability of our environment in all its complexity, so I bring to the board a respect for and fascination with other perspectives that help us see the whole picture.
What aspect of the charity’s work interests you the most?
The scale and ambition of the charity’s purpose is key, along with its central location. Many organisations and individuals have visions similar to that of the Heart of England Forest, but very few have the opportunity to change so much land, and the lives of so many people, for the better.
How do you think the Heart of England Forest is making the most difference?
I hope it doesn’t sound too fanciful to say that the Heart of England Forest is changing how people everywhere imagine this part of the country, and what they hope for it.
What are the challenges facing the charity over the next 12 months?
12 months would be the blink of a trees’ eye…if trees had eyes. The challenge facing everyone involved with forests is to become a constructive part of a human-forest system that works for people and nature for the next 1200 years. I’m impressed that the charity sees this Grand Challenge clearly and is moving steadily forward, with due humility given the complexity of it all!
What 3 words would you use to describe the work of the Forest?
Ardent, human, nature.
