About England’s Community Forests

England’s Community Forests is the leading woodland creation force in the country.

We are a diverse and growing network of 15 unique Community Forests, each working in partnership with their local communities, landowners and businesses to help nature recover and regenerate the landscapes in and around our largest towns and cities. We work together to support each other and amplify our voice nationally.

Our roots go back over 30 years, with Community Forests now forming the biggest environmental regeneration initiative in England. We’re recognised in the Planning Policy Framework and are highlighted as part of the Government’s 25 Year Plan for the Environment, playing a key role in shaping woodland creation and nature recovery policy both nationally and locally.

We provide free guidance and support to landowners and land managers to help plan, fund, and plant new woodland of all sizes in both rural and urban settings, drawing on local expertise and people power. Our long-term commitment to the areas in which we work is ensuring that trees and woodlands are at the very heart of communities up and down the country, unlocking countless benefits for people and planet.

Our aims

• Support regeneration and growth: Making towns and cities more attractive places in which to live, work and do business; attracting new investment and creating jobs.

• Support local communities: Harnessing the enthusiasm, commitment, and knowledge of local people; helping them improve their local area and enhancing health and wellbeing.

• Creating better places: Enriching and enhancing biodiversity and the environment, creating new facilities for recreation and leisure and making our towns and cities more sustainable and resilient to a changing climate.