This article appears as part of the Winds of Change newsletter.

A couple of weeks ago, in the wake of calls, made in articles in The Herald, for the resignation of the chair and CEO of the controversy-hit John Muir Trust, we published a letter by Victor Clements, a forestry advisor, who asked the question, “Might all this bad publicity lead to the demise of JMT? And if it did, would we miss them?”

Last week, an extended version of Clements' letter ran in ParkswatchScotland, the investigative blog site run by National Parks campaigner, Nick Kempe, with the “Does Scotland need the John Muir Trust?”

Published alongside a response on the site by John Muir Trust CEO, David Balharry, it opened up debate on the charity and its purpose.

Clements' take on what would happen if the Trust were to disappear is damning. “In the cold light of day, few would miss them if they were gone. Other groups would step up and address problems in a different way.”

What he says, of course, is just one view (though, as my coverage of the issue has shown, he is not alone in his criticisms), but it has been formed through his own........

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