THE head forester for the Duchy of Cornwall was earlier this year named as the new High Sheriff of the county.

Stepping into the role is Geraint Richards MVO FICFor, the head forester for the Duchy of Cornwall and to His Majesty The King.

Coming from a Cornish family on his father’s side, where previous generations lived around the St Austell area of the county, and with a Welsh mother, Geraint grew up in the Chiltern Hills and it was his regular walks amongst the beech woods there that inspired him to become a forester.

Graduating in 1992 with a First Class degree in forestry from Bangor University, Geraint worked for four years for the Forestry Commission in Kent and East Sussex. His desire was always to live and work in Cornwall, where his true sense of home was, and in 1995 he applied for the role of head forester for the Duchy of Cornwall.

Geraint took up his role on the April 1, 1996 and he and Anne settled in Gorran Haven. The head forester role has grown considerably over the years with Geraint becoming involved with other royal estates as well as many other organisations and initiatives in the UK and internationally.

Geraint was made a member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) in 2017 and in 2019 he was awarded the Royal Forestry Society’s Gold Medal for distinguished services to forestry. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Foresters and was its President from 2023-2025.

Despite his role taking him across the UK and beyond, Geraint’s affection for his home county of Cornwall is as strong as ever. He has been involved with many county-based rural organisations and initiatives during his career, including the Royal Cornwall Show where he has run the Woodlands Section for over 25 years.