England’s Community Forests

The Forest of Marston Vale

Covers – Bedfordshire

The Forest of Marston Vale is a forest in the making, covering an area of 61 square miles between Bedford and Milton Keynes. For over 20 years the Forest of Marston Vale Trust has been planting trees and engaging communities and the public and private sector in an ambitious vision to deliver landscape scale change and create accessible new woodlands and green spaces. From a base of just 3.6% in 1995, the charity has grown tree cover in the region to over 15% today, bringing with it extensive environmental, biodiversity, and quality of life benefits.

Creating the Forest hasn’t only been about transforming the landscape, it’s also boosted the local economy, growing a new sense of place in communities and helping set the scene for future growth and prosperity.

In 2019 the Forest of Marston Vale became only the fourth forest in the UK to be accredited to The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy.

For more information visit the Forest of Marston Vale website

Twitter: @@forest_centre
Instagram: @forestofmarstonvale
Facebook: @forestofmarstonvale

For landowner enquiries about grants and support offered in the Marston Vale area, please contact Darren Woodward, Forest Development Manager by emailing: darren.woodward@marstonvale.org or treesforclimate@marstonvale.org. or calling 01234 767037.

The Great Western Community Forest

Covers – over 168 square miles stretching from the North Wessex Downs to the River Thames

Established in 1993, The Great Western Community Forest (GWCF) is one of England’s Community Forests where local people and organisations are working together to create a better environment.

With the town of Swindon at its heart, GWCF covers an area of 39,000 hectares stretching from the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the River Thames.

GWCF is an exciting partnership between a wide range of local and regional organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors which work together to deliver a comprehensive package of environmental, economic and social regeneration.

Having more than doubled woodland and tree cover in the project area, GWCF continues to plays a crucial role in contributing to sustainable growth and regeneration in Swindon, the urban fringes and in the varied and beautiful surrounding countryside.

For more information visit the Great Western Community Forest website

For landowner enquiries about grants and support offered in the Great Western area, please email CommunityForest@swindon.gov.uk

The Greenwood Community Forest

Covers – 161 square miles of west Nottinghamshire

By working with a range of organisations and volunteer groups within the Greenwood area and more widely in Nottinghamshire, Greenwood Community Forest seeks to support and facilitate new tree and woodland establishment, the management of local green spaces, and to champion all the benefits for people, the environment, and the local economy that flow from this, including health and wellbeing, learning and training, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The core Greenwood Community Forest area covers 161 square miles of west Nottinghamshire, from Mansfield in the north to Nottingham in the south and from Eastwood in the west to Farnsfield in the east. It overlaps historic Sherwood Forest in the north-east and curves round to Attenborough in the south-west. Over 1 million people live within 5 miles of Greenwood Community Forest.

For more information visit the Greenwood Community Forest website

Twitter: @greenwoodcf
Facebook: @FOGCF

For landowner enquiries about grants and support offered in the Greenwood area, please contact the Woodland Creation Officer on 0115 993 2600 or greenwood@nottscc.gov.uk

The Mersey Forest

Covers – Merseyside and North Cheshire

The Mersey Forest is a growing network of woodlands and green spaces spread across Cheshire and Merseyside, which has been creating ‘woodlands on your doorstep’ for more than 25 years.

The Forest is one of the leading environmental regeneration initiatives in the North West. Through community and partnership working, we have planted over 9 million trees.

The Forest helps our towns and cities adapt to climate change, creates woodlands that 20% of local people visit at least once a week, and by improving the image of our towns and cities sets the scene for growth within the region’s £98 billion economy.

For more information visit the Mersey Forest website

Twitter: @merseyforest
Facebook: @merseyforest

For landowner enquiries about grants and support offered in The Mersey Forest area, please contact the team on 01925 816217 or mail@merseyforest.org.uk

City of Trees

Covers – Greater Manchester

City of Trees an innovative and exciting movement that aims to transform the landscape and quality of life for people across Greater Manchester. City of Trees works with the public, private and third sector to ensure that the benefits of trees and woodlands are realised through key agendas such as climate change, water and flood management and health and wellbeing.

City of Trees runs Citizen Forester, the practical way for people play their part in planting and looking after trees, engaging a wide range of audiences, examples of which include local residents, corporate groups, people looking to get back to work, and people affected by dementia.

City of Trees covers the Greater Manchester part of the Northern Forest.

For more information visit the City of Trees website

Twitter: @CityofTreesMcr
Instagram: @cityoftreesmcr
Facebook: @cityoftreesmcr

For landowner enquiries about grants and support offered in the City of Trees area, please contact Pete Stringer on 07759369236 or email pete@cityoftrees.org.uk

Forest of Avon Trust

Covers – Bristol, Bath and the West of England

The Forest of Avon Trust was established in 2008 as an independent charity to help create the Forest of Avon Community Forest. Funded by donations, grants, sponsorship and fee income, the charity works with partners across Bristol, Bath and the West of England to engage and involve people in their local woodlands, improve the management of existing woodlands and get many more trees planted. It has trained over 200 Forest School Leaders, developed Woodland Wellbeing programmes for hundred of people with learning disabilities, dementia or mental health needs and brought over 850 ha of woodlands in to management.

The charity works closely with local authority and other partners to get many more trees and woodlands planted across Bristol and Avon.

For more information visit the Forest of Avon Trust website

Twitter: @forestofavon
Instagram: @forestofavon
Facebook: @forestofavontrust

For landowner enquiries about grants and support offered in the Forest of Avon Trust area, please contact the team on 0117 963 3383 or treesforclimate@forestofavontrust.org

Forest of Mercia

Covers – Staffordshire and the West Midlands

Forest of Mercia is a Community Interest Company. We use the natural environment to educate, improve health and wellbeing and encourage everyone to use the outdoors in a way thats right for them.

Forest of Mercia CIC is part of the Community Forest Partnership and has a long track record of delivering successful environmental projects in Staffordshire and the West Midlands. We have worked in the Forest of Mercia area for 30 years with interested individuals and groups developing the environment.

For more information visit the Forest of Mercia website

Twitter: @forestofmercia
Instagram: @forestofmercia
Facebook: @ForestofMercia

For landowner enquiries about grants and support offered in the Forest of Mercia area, please contact the team on 01922 419538 or info@forestofmercia.com

Humber Forest

Covers – Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire

Humber Forest (previously known as HEYwoods) is the community forest for Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

We work together with communities, businesses, and landowners to increase tree cover and maintain existing woodland. We connect people and woodlands for happier and healthier communities, helping tackle climate change, and improving the local environment for all.

The Humber Forest is not a single ‘forest’ covering an area, but the collection of many trees, woodlands and hedgerows across Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

We provide advice and guidance, access to funding, and project support for landowners, businesses and communities wanting to plant trees, woodlands, and hedgerows in the area.

For more information visit the Humber Forest website

For landowner enquiries about grants and support offered in the Humber area, please email: humber.forest@eastriding.gov.uk

Thames Chase Community Forest

Covers – 98 square miles in Brentwood, Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Thurrock and Essex

The Thames Chase Community Forest is a remarkable landscape initiative, actively transforming 98 square miles of the landscape in East London and South West Essex, guided by the Thames Chase Plan. Launched in 1990, the Thames Chase Community Forest now celebrates 30 years of landscape regeneration, transforming the green environment for the 650,000 population living through and around its boundaries.

Since 1990 Thames Chase Community Forest has sought to protect, improve and expand the woodland character of the Community Forest and to sustain the natural integrity of the air, land and water, including wildlife. Thames Chase Community Forest has a connected network of links and accessible, vibrant greenspaces and our work integrates climate change adaptation and mitigation into the developing Community Forest. Combined, this resource provides the opportunity to improve the local health and wellbeing of thousands of people through recreation, volunteering, learning and employment. The Community Forest is a partnership and the Thames Chase Trust is the umbrella body that meshes everything together, working from national to local level to maximise the impact of available resources.

The vision for Thames Chase Community Forest is simple:

‘By 2030, Thames Chase Community Forest will be recognised as an inspirational example of landscape regeneration where enhanced, connected woodland and green space has made a clear difference to wildlife and people’s lives’.

For more information visit the Thames Chase Community Forest website

Twitter: @Thames_Chase
Instagram: @thameschase
Facebook: @ThamesChase1

For landowner enquiries about grants and support offered in the Thames Chase area, please contact Dave Bigden on 07746 593527 or david.bigden@thameschase.org.uk

The White Rose Forest

Covers – North and West Yorkshire

The White Rose Forest is the community forest for North and West Yorkshire, working in partnership with local authorities, landowners, businesses and communities to increase tree cover across the region and improve our natural environment.

Our team of local woodland creation experts work with a wide range of landowners and land managers across the region to help plan, fund and plant new woodland. We will provide as much free support as is needed, from an initial site visit through to the planting and maintenance of the trees. We’ll also help you identify the best funding option for your project, and help with regulatory paperwork and approvals.

For more information visit the White Rose Forest website

Twitter: @whiteroseforest

To find out about the grants and support offered in the White Rose Forest area, please contact the team by email at whiteroseforest@kirklees.gov.uk or complete the landowner contact form on their website.

North East Community Forest

Covers – Newcastle, Gateshead, North and South Tyneside, Sunderland and Durham

The initiative aims to plant up to 500 hectares of trees by 2025, with a long-term goal to increase canopy cover across the north east to 30% by 2050 – almost double the current national average.

For more information visit the North East Community Forest website

For landowner enquiries about grants and support offered in the North East Community Forest area, please contact LLoyd Jones Lloyd.Jones@newcastle.gov.uk

Raise: Cumbria Community Forest

Covers – Copeland, Barrow and Allerdale

Launched in 2021 and covering 1385 square miles, Cumbria’s Community Forest hugs the western edge of the Lake District National Park and stretches from the northern city of Carlisle to the post-industrial towns in the south. We plant new trees as well as improving the management of existing woodland areas. By connecting these new and existing habitats, we create a community forest comprising healthy ribbons of woodland, that not only improves biodiversity, but also increases access to nature for local people.

Working with communities to plant trees and develop woodland, we create opportunities for people of all ages to engage with green spaces. Our aim? To increase economic, environmental, health and social benefits, resulting in a positive impact on both people and nature.

Our flexible funding helps landowners to maximise the potential of their land, supporting woodland creation and ongoing management and maintenance. Funding also importantly supports activities to engage communities with the development of these green spaces, establishing connections and fostering ownership. Our experienced team provides tailored guidance throughout the process, ensuring that plans meet the needs and expectations of all involved.

Raise, the home and champion of Cumbria’s Community Forest, is a collective of science-led foresters, artists, makers and academics.  We have a multidisciplinary approach, using woodland and trees as a framework within which we can explore, develop, create and learn. We meaningfully engage with communities who face the greatest barriers to long-term engagement with nature, particularly neurodivergent people. Each project is unique, designed to suit the needs of the site and the communities that surround it.  

We believe that it takes a community to raise a forest. Come and join us.

For more information visit www.raisecumbria.co.uk

For landowner enquiries about grants and support offered in the Cumbria Community Forest area, please email info@raisecumbria.co.uk 

Facebook @raisecumbria
X @raisecumbria
Instagram @raisecumbria

Trees on Tees

Covers – Tees Valley

The new Community Forest will build on the Tees Valley Mayor and Tees Valley Combined Authority’s(TVCA’s) existing Trees for Tees programme, which has an ambition to plant one million trees. It will increase and improve green spaces across the area and deliver high quality woodlands with enhanced public access. TVCA’s aim is for the project to deliver health, social and regeneration benefits, in particular through increased tree planting in urban areas.

For more information visit the Trees on Tees web page

X: https://twitter.com/TeesValleyCA

Facebook: @TeesValleyCA

Instagram: @teesvalley_ca

For landowner enquiries about grants and support offered in Tees Valley, please email trees@teesvalley-ca.gov.uk  

Derbyshire’s Heartwood Community Forest

Covers – The eastern and southern fringes of Derbyshire 

Derbyshire’s Heartwood Community Forest will be at the heart of England and with a central position between the National Forest and the Greenwood Community Forest in Nottinghamshire. It will provide the missing link in joining up community forests in the surrounding area.

It won’t be a single ‘forest’ covering an area, but the collection of many trees, woodlands and hedgerows across the eastern and southern fringes of Derbyshire. The area includes many of the urban settlements of Derbyshire where 77% of the county’s population of 797,000 people live and where better access to woodland is most needed.  It is also an area rich in industrial mining heritage that has shaped the current landscape. The Forest will continue to enhance the schemes of physical restoration that are already underway.

There will be advice and guidance, access to funding, and project support for landowners, businesses and communities wanting to plant trees, woodlands and hedgerows in the area or maintain existing woodland.

The anticipated benefits are many including better access to nature in areas that currently have fewer woodlands, enthusiasm from communities to get involved in improving their environment and boosting biodiversity and helping to tackle the effects of Climate Change. It will also create a positive legacy for generations to come

The Government funded scheme will be led by Derbyshire County Council in partnership with district and borough councils, Active Derbyshire, Foundation Derbyshire, The Institute of Quarrying, Nature After Minerals, University of Derby, landowners, businesses and local communities.

For more information visit: www.derbyshire.gov.uk/heartwood

X: @derbyshirecc 

Facebook: facebook.com/Derbyshirecc

Instagram: @derbyshirecountycouncil

For landowner enquiries about grants and support offered in Derbyshire’s Heartwood Community Forest, please email heartwood@derbyshire.gov.uk