Place

Transforming places with people and trees

England’s Community Forests are bringing trees and people together to create healthy, inspiring and resilient places for communities and nature to live side by side. The trees and woodlands of the Community Forests are made by people and have a place in the everyday lives of many.

Engaging with communities

England’s Community Forests work with schools, community groups, friends groups and more, and across the full spectrum of our diverse communities. They focus their work in urban areas where most people live, work and travel and which therefore matter most in people’s daily lives. They connect urban populations with the wider landscape, whether for recreation, flood management, biodiversity or a host of other benefits.

Innovative and adaptive

England’s Community Forests are creative and experimental, adapting to new circumstances and trying out new ways of engaging and transforming. They help communities to respond and adapt to climate change and the many environmental uncertainties that accompany climate change. They are also responsive to societal and policy developments – trees meet the community’s needs for a safe, attractive place, good health, economic development and connection with thriving nature.

Community forestry for the long term

England’s Community Forests are leaders. They dynamically engage with communities and policy, and they are ready for the future as it emerges. They transcend changing policy agendas and are helping to shape a more sustainable future by looking ahead to society’s wellbeing and environmental needs.