John Sweeny is chair of the small sawmillers community of practice.

Born in Ireland, John grew up in Wales while still spending most of his childhood summers on his grandparents’ small dairy farm in Southern Ireland. There he found his connection with the land but also witnessed first-hand the impact of intensified agricultural over the years. As an adult, he served in the Air Force for seven years, then spent five years in the Arctic and Antarctic regions where navigating through the glacial meltwaters opened his eyes to climate change. He turned to forestry so he could continue to work out of doors and now focuses on work that allows him to contribute to decarbonisation and positive change for future generations.