UK Government Announces First New National Forest in 30 Years

Today (Friday 21 March), the UK Government has announced its plan to plant 20 million trees across the West of England by 2050, creating at least 2,500 hectares of new woodland by 2030. The Western Forest will span from the Cotswolds to the Mendips, serving 2.5 million residents through new and existing woodlands. This includes urban areas such as Bristol and Gloucester, with the hope of bringing people closer to nature, creating space for wildlife, and preventing flooding, all at the landscape scale.

The Western Forest is a partnership led by the Forest of Avon, one of England’s Community Forests and is supported by up to £7.5 million of government funding to accelerate local tree-planting and habitat creation. The National Forest Company, who specialise in implementing new woodlands and transforming post-industrial landscapes, will provide their expertise and support.

The Government hopes that the newly established forest will help the UK reach net zero by 2050, whilst also creating jobs and boosting economic growth, as part of its wider Plan for Change.

Simultaneously, the Western Forest will help the Government towards its legal obligation of protecting 30% of its land and seas by 2030, a target aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). It will also be one of three new national forests, helping the government meet its’ statutory target to increase tree and woodland cover to 16.5% of England by 2050. England is one of the least wooded countries in Europe with tree cover around 10%, compared to the European average of 37%.

Alex Stone, Chief Executive of Forest of Avon, England’s Community Forests, said: “Encompassing two of England’s Community Forests and working alongside the National Forest Company and Defra, the Western Forest will enhance, connect and improve our urban and rural landscapes, support investment into the region, create jobs and skills opportunities and bring the endless benefits we get back from planting and caring for our trees. It is a very exciting time for this region, and we look forward to helping shape what the Western Forest will become.”

The news ties in with the UK Department of Education confirming the launch of a new GCSE in natural history. Education minister Catherine McKinnell announced that the GCSE would equip young people “to understand and respect the natural world and contribute to the protection and conservation of the environment locally, nationally and internationally.”

Read the press release here