A new Deputy Surveyor of the Forest of Dean takes over next week. The new holder of this age-old senior forester post is Kevin Stannard, 41 this week.

His new empire stretches much wider than just the Dean, encompassing the five other areas of South Herefordshire, Lower Wye Valley, North Wessex Downs, Mendip Hills and Avon Vales and Community Forests.

An Essex boy, his parents – active in Scouting and Guiding – encouraged a liking for the outdoors – and especially woodlands.

"Our holidays were in places such as Thetford, the Lake District and the New Forest," he told the Review last week.

After a forestry degree at Aberdeen university, he joined the Forestry Commission. After working in forestry areas including Cannock Chase, Dorset and the New Forest he arrived in Northamptonshire.

As district boss he introduced an all ability Tree Top Way in Salcey Forest between Milton Keynes and Northampton, "an oasis of nature and history only seven miles from the centre of Northampton," as described in the FC guide.

"The treetop way proved immensely popular," says Kevin. "For people from Milton Keynes and Northampton it provided a new way of looking at the woods and trees, particularly the children. We were trying to reach out to people who wouldn't otherwise be there.

"It was increasing public access, but in a way that didn't harm the natural woodland qualities."

His territory also included the Royal Forest of Rockingham, "a medieval hunting forest. It is a beautiful patchwork of ancient woodlands and open agricultural land with historic features and attractive stone-built forest villages.

"Today the forest offers visitors plenty of routes for walking, cycling and riding. Rockingham Forest is at the very centre of the Forestry Commission's Ancient Woodland Project."

"My particular interests are ancient woodland management and archaeology," Kevin tells us, a "fit" which perhaps explains his appointment to the Forest of Dean at such a comparatively young age.

"When I arrived in Northamptonshire the county archeologist contacted me to say I was sitting on the largest undiscovered deposits of archaeology in the county. Sure enough, when he and his colleagues did their surveying, within weeks they had discovered hundreds of sites from the Iron Age, Roman and medieval periods.

"A lot was connected with iron smelting, right up to British Steel's operations at Corby."

He and his partner and their two young children will be looking for a place to live in or around the Forest. "I knew the Forest of Dean already, of course, but I am now finding out more about its history.

"Its traditions include the verderers and commoners, and all the issues that arise from this. It's obviously hugely complicated, but it's attractive getting to grips with them."