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A warm welcome to our new Trustee, Sonia Winder
The Carbon Community is delighted to welcome Sonia to our Board of Trustees, effective 1 March 2026.
Already a familiar face at Glandwr Forest, Sonia has helped to shape the woodland you see today – from the first designs on paper, through planting 39 hectares of new woodland, including the research areas.
“Sonia has played a pivotal role in the evolution of Glandwr Forest – from early planting through to award-winning woodland management. Her deep expertise in silviculture and woodland creation makes her an outstanding addition to our Board.” Charles Nicholls
Sonia’s love of forests began on the west coast of Canada, standing among old-growth forests and huge veteran Sitka spruce. That experience led her to study Environmental Forestry at Bangor University and qualify as both a Chartered Forester and Chartered Environmentalist.
Her forestry career began in local government, and then at Fountain Forestry, before joining Tilhill Forestry in 1996. After 29 years with Tilhill, she has recently joined Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales as a Forestry Officer. Over the course of her career, she has helped woodlands grow, diversify and mature under careful management and sound silviculture that works with nature and the changing climate.
Glandwr Forest is no longer a vision; it feels like a forest. The old woodland fragments are now linked together with new planted woodlands, and peppered with scattered natural regeneration from seed from the mature trees. There have been challenges from droughts, insects and browsing animals, but healthy, resilient trees are coping with these difficulties posed by a changing climate, and there is optimism that the trees will grow and fix carbon for generations to come.
“It was an extremely proud moment last year when Glandwr won a gold medal at the Royal Welsh Show's Trees and Woodlands competition. It was an all-Wales competition, so this was a real accolade.” Sonia Winder
“Sonia’s practical experience of woodland design and management, combined with her commitment to innovation in carbon science, will be invaluable as we grow the charity and share what we are learning about how to establish resilient forests that remove more carbon.” Heather Allen
Nestled in Glandwr Forest is a major study on carbon sequestration in trees and soil, spanning 11.5 hectares and 25,600 trees. The study is the largest field trial of its kind, examining how two nature-based strategies – microbial enrichment and enhanced rock weathering - each improve restoration efforts.
The establishment of this research program has helped Glandwr Forest grow into a research facility where seven universities have been involved in some way over the last five years. It has also seen the establishment of a thriving community science and volunteering program.
“Our future will continue to be shaped by our changing climate. The Carbon Community has taken a proactive, innovative stance in developing new, effective, transferable, and scalable techniques for woodland establishment and carbon fixation. I am delighted to be joining as a Trustee to help guide the future.” Sonia Winder, Trustee
If you’d like to discover more about Glandwr Forest and our research into carbon, biodiversity and woodland creation, you can explore our latest updates here.
