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I have a situation where our Diesel Transit 9 seated van is used in forestry and driven in off road hilly areas. Most times it is 2nd gear travel but we do get back into 1st and also into 3rd on occasions. What should I be concerned about in driving the van with passengers under these conditions and more importantly how will this driving affect the motor and gearbox of the vehicle?

If those are the conditions the vehicle is used in, you don't really have any option. There's no real damage that is likely to result, but it is likely to use more fuel and as you are travelling at lower speeds, you may find that the cooling fan is running more than it might on the open road.
Be careful not to ride the clutch and keep a watchful eye on the temperature gauge. Also, as you will be changing down to 1st more than most drivers, there's the possibility you could wear the gearbox synchros earlier than would normally be the case if you are not careful with the down shifts, but otherwise the mere fact that you are travelling at lower speeds than normal and in a lower gear should not cause too many problems, but it cannot really be avoided either.