Visitors flock to Capital for forestry talks

This year the event will focus on the need to stop deforestation in Commonwealth nations, forest restoration and the role forests can play in slowing climate change.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma, who will be opening the conference at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre next week, said despite the important role forests play in storing carbon, their removal is a big problem.

The opening of the conference, which runs until 2 July, will be marked by Mr Sharma, who will plant a tree in the Princes St Gardens on Monday.