The nation’s forests are growing more resilient
The trees, vegetation, soils and freshwater environments of the nation’s forests play a critical role in absorbing and storing greenhouse gas emissions.
We will expand the nation’s forests, contributing to the government’s action plans on trees, nature and climate along with developing and taking wider opportunities for woodland creation. Our seed and nursery units will be fundamental to the longer-term success, quality and diversity of both our mature and newly created woodlands.
We will tell the story of climate change, productive forestry and forest resilience as a part of this work.
We will build on our success
We will continue to manage the nation’s forests, following world-class, independently certified, sustainable forest and land management standards to ensure they thrive and provide vital sustainably produced timber.
The nation’s forests will continue to contribute to the growing green economy, supplying renewable timber and forest products as sustainable alternatives.
Forestry England is at the forefront of internationally significant scientific research in forests and climate science. We will continue to work with the forestry industry, the energy sector and corporate partners as they can support us and increase our impact. By adapting, diversifying, and improving the composition, scale, connectivity and quality of the nation’s forests they will thrive over the coming decades.
We will grow for the future
We will create new woodlands, expanding the nation’s forests and absorbing more carbon from the atmosphere.
Acting now means
- investing in skilled people and new partnerships to support an expansion of the nation’s forests.
- continuing to restore and help our habitats and landscapes to adapt, which will support their role in carbon absorption and biodiversity resilience and tell the story of its place in productive forestry.
- offering over one million cubic metres of sustainable timber to market each year, maintaining world-class forest management practices, externally accredited to international standards.
What you will see in the next 5 years
- at least 2,000 hectares of new, high quality, predominantly broadleaf woodlands planted. The partnerships that deliver these will strengthen connections to their wider settings, enabling our forests to play their crucial role in landscape-scale climate resilience.
- greater structural and tree species diversity in the nation’s forests to support adaptation to climate change and securing sustainable timber supply for future generations.
- continued investment in research to help our forests be diverse and resilient and lead the way in mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change on forest landscapes.
