Dr George Holmes FRSE
George D Holmes, CB, FRSE, FICFor, BSc, DSc (Hon. Wales)
George Holmes, who died recently at the remarkable age of 98, was a renowned figure in British forestry during the second half of the twentieth century and in retirement provided extensive service and leadership across several organisations. He was elected fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1982 and was a member of the RSE Council from 1987 to 1990.
George graduated from Bangor University in Forestry with first class honours in Botany in 1948. Following one year of postgraduate study, he joined the Forestry Commission in 1949 and subsequently had a career in forestry research and forest management involving posts in England, Wales and Scotland. Senior roles included Director of Research from 1969 to 1973, and Director General of the Forestry Commission from 1976 to 1986 soon after its headquarters had been moved to Edinburgh and yet still had a GB-wide remit. He actively engaged in international forestry through the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO), Commonwealth and World forestry congresses, and chairing FAO’s Committee on Forestry for two years. George’s leadership and standing in forestry was reflected in his appointment to the Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1979. In forestry circles, he is most remembered for his contribution, when Director General, to seeing off the threat of wholesale privatization of the public forest estate and for playing a significant part in the seminal Forestry Commission/Institute of Chartered Foresters ‘Broadleaves in Britain’ Symposium which ultimately led to first government broadleaves policy in 1985 and a widening of the scope of woodland creation.
Following retirement from the Forestry Commission, and as well described in a significant obituary in the Scotsman newspaper on 22nd May 2025, George applied his talents in several realms. These included chairing boards of Capability Scotland, the Edinburgh Centre for Tropical Forestry, and ICRAF (International Centre for Research into Agroforestry) and contributions to the governance of the Bank of Scotland, the Scottish Legal Aid Board, and the Scottish Wildlife Trust. He received many accolades – including Honorary Membership of the Society of American Foresters, and Honorary Doctor of Science from Bangor University.
At the incorporation by Royal Charter of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, George wrote “In the long run, it is the professionalism, vision, and integrity of the forester on which the future of the industry largely depends.” There is no doubt, he exemplified those qualities. George remained approachable, kind and very well-informed and as recently as last Autumn was able to visit Forest Research and provide vivid and insightful memories of his time conducting applied research sixty years before.
Obituary provided by Professor Christopher Quine FRSE
