by Holly Chapman | 11 Jun 26 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
The government has announced a £7.5m commitment over a five-year period to support the creation of a third new national forest.
The new national forest will be located in either the Midlands or North of England covering 600m2 in scale. The area should be large enough to make significant long-term contribution to tree-planting targets, while sitting within the area’s existing landscape and local identity.
Eligible organisations across the Midlands and North have been invited to submit bids to become a delivery partner.
Intended to improve health for communities, with low-income communities disproportionately feeling the impacts of poor access to green and blue spaces.
Nature minister Mary Creagh says, “too many communities can’t access the green spaces that benefit mental and physical health. This new national forest will help change that, and I encourage every eligible organisation with the vision and expertise to come forward.”
Since the Western Forest and the OxCam arc forest, the third comes to bring green space to more people.
John Everitt, national forest company chief executive, also comments on the announcement:
“Opening the competition for the third new national forest is a major milestone in accelerating our tree planting ambitions. We are looking forward to seeing some strong applications that can make a real difference for the health and wellbeing of communities across the Midlands and North of England.”
Bids to become the delivery partner are now open for submission until 7 July.
by Holly Chapman | 14 Jan 26 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
The new national forest in the Oxford-Cambridge corridor has begun its search for official delivery partners.
Defra has opened an Expression of Interest process with interested parties needing to demonstrate they have the capacity, experience and knowledge to deliver the national forest outcomes.
These parties will also need expertise in large-scale woodland creation, community engagement and cross-sector partnerships.
The second of three pledged in the government’s manifesto, the OxCam national forest “will bring millions of trees closer to where people live, supporting wildlife and creating green jobs for local people,” says nature minister Mary Creagh.
Interested parties are invited to submit Expressions of Interest between 12 and 30 January 2026. Further information on the process is available here.
by Holly Chapman | 26 Mar 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
England’s first national forest in three decades to see 20 million trees planted across the Western region.
The new 2,500 hectare Western Forest will be planted across Bristol, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset over the coming decades.
These plans come as part of the government’s pledge to create three new national forests across England.
Nature minister Mary Creagh notes how the new forest will “bring nature closer to people” as well as supporting nature and aid in the mitigation of flooding.
“The government was elected on a mandate to plant three new national forests this parliament, as part of our commitment to reach net zero and drive sustainable growth under the government’s plan for change.”
Spearheading the planting is Forest of Avon, England’s Community Forests. Alex Stone, chief executive comments:
“This is about resource, funding and expertise coming directly to landowners, partners and communities, planting millions of trees in the right places. Together, we will enhance landscapes for all to enjoy, improving the lives of our 2.5 million residents and visitors to the region.”
This news comes after the planting of 9.8 million trees in the Midlands national forest. National forest chief executive John Everitt OBE says:
“The Western Forest was selected because of its ability to demonstrate a similar scale of ambition, with trees and woods supporting growth and farming while enhancing nature’s recovery and access to green space.”
Planting is predicted to be completed by 2050.
