A WOODSMAN has hung up his axe after 35 years preserving some of the region's most important wildlife havens.

Bill Burlton has retired from the Forestry Commission after a career managing conservation projects and recreational facilities at Kielder, in Northumberland, Hamsterley Forest, in County Durham, and Chopwell Woods, in the Tyne Valley.

During an unusual career, Mr Burlton, 59, began his working life on a Fleetwood trawler covering the fishing grounds off Iceland. He went on to earn a living at a pulp mill in the Scottish Highlands, before turning his hand to forestry.

During his time with the commission, Mr Burlton has played a key role in the development of several conservation projects, including the restoration of the 500-acre Border Mires wetland, in Kielder Forest, and his role in preserving the red squirrel population in Kielder, which is home to 70 per cent of the English population of the native species.

He said: "It's been a privilege to be able to make a contribution and work in such a marvellous place."

Mr Burlton plans to spend time leading rambles through the woodlands he has helped to shape over the years.