FROM the cigar smoke of the House of Lords to the sharp, clean air of Chopwell Woods on a winter's morning - it's all in a day's work for the new Forestry Commission chairman.

Lord Clark, who lives in Ryton, near Gateshead, made his first public appearance yesterday, strolling through the heart of Chopwell Woodland Park in the borough's Derwent Valley.

When the Queen appointed the Right Honorable Lord Clark of Windermere as commission head, last month, Dave - as he is known to his friends - felt he had come full circle.

"My first ever job growing up in rural Cumbria was as a forest worker in 1956," said the 62-year-old. "Since then, I've had a career in politics of course, but I've always had a vested interest in our woodland."

That interest saw him manage Her Majesty's estates in the North of England during Tony Blair's first cabinet, and sit on Labour's shadow cabinet for 11 years with responsibility for environmental protection, agriculture, forestry and rural affairs.

One of his first tasks was to inspect the latest public artwork in the forest with local children yesterday.

He also joined members of the Friends of Chopwell Woods, the first community group of its kind in the UK, which has worked in the 1,000-acre beauty spot since 1991, to celebrate a World Wildlife Trust award.

Lord Clark said: "I think my challenge is to get across the message that trees and woods are to be cherished, and are there for us. People can ride bikes, go horse riding, birdwatching or just about anything in the region's woods. The magic of our forests is still there I think.