The Forestry England Woodland Partnership Programme, funded by Defra, is a woodland creation scheme through which we lease your land, provide our expertise in creating and managing woodlands, and pay you a rent.
Creating new woodlands that work for everyone
Creating new woodlands in this way supports government plans for woodland creation, nature recovery and progress towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It's a unique offer benefiting both public and private landowners, where we pay you a rent and put our expertise and resources into creating and managing resilient, thriving woodlands on your behalf.
Available to local authorities, farmers and private landowners
If you’re a local authority, farmer or private landowner we’d be pleased to talk to you about how this opportunity can benefit you, your local communities and the wider environment. You can apply at any time. For companies looking to partner with Forestry England to create new woodlands please get in touch .
Download a woodland partnership brochure below to read full details about the Forestry England Woodland Partnership Programme.
We have tender opportunities for spring planting
Building your business
Land management in England is evolving and payment schemes are changing. Public goods are being prioritised, and the drive for a greener future is gathering pace. In this changing economic climate, diversifying your land portfolio is one way to help your business thrive in the future - creating woodland is an opportunity to do just that.
Creating a large new woodland has its challenges and there are choices to be made; each route below involves different levels of effort and financial reward.
Doing it all yourself
If you’re new to tree planting and forest management this will require capital investment, expertise, and significant time from you. Most of the risk, investment and the income will be yours.
Paying an agent
Bringing in a ‘main contractor’ can reduce the amount of hands-on time you need to commit, and expert input reduces some of the risks and ensures excellent woodland creation projects. However, professional help carries costs and will require investment from you.
Lease with guaranteed income
This is where we come in. Forestry England can partner with you to create and manage woodland on your land, providing you with guaranteed rental income through our innovative land lease model. We take most of the risk, do most of the work and, of course we expect to see an income too. Our income does not affect the rent we pay you.
How the Woodland Partnership Programme works
All woodlands created by Forestry England will be optimised for environmental, social and economic benefits. These woodlands will be publicly accessible for the period of the lease and will meet Woodland Carbon Code standards to allow for future carbon trading.
Lease
We negotiate an option and lease with you for a land parcel of at least 50 hectares for at least 60 years. You will receive a rental payment for every year of the lease
Plant, protect and manage
Forestry England secures approval for the project, prepares the site, plants the trees, protects and manages the woodland for the duration of the lease period
Income and investment
You receive a regular, secure income and will own a thriving, well-managed woodland on your property
Benefits
Over the lease the financial benefits flow to both you and us, and the woodland also provides public goods for you and your community, including health and wellbeing benefits, thriving wildlife habitats and improved biodiversity.
Ready to apply?
What our partnership can do for you and for your community
As well as provide you with a rent payment for the duration of the lease, these new woodlands will provide public access and health and wellbeing opportunities to your local communities.
Once established, the woodlands will also bring benefits to the wider landscape by providing thriving wildlife habitats to boost biodiversity, improving air quality and helping mitigate soil erosion and flooding.
Working with us means you will be drawing on over 100 years of expertise in successful woodland management. Find out more about having us as a partner.
Download the woodland creation brochure to read the full details on the Forestry England Woodland Partnership.
Spring 2024 planting tender opportunities
We have a woodland creation programme for 2024/25 of nearly 700ha. We anticipate significant plantable areas in Devon, Norfolk and the Midlands. Eligible, pre-qualified organisations will be notified through our electronic procurement system and will be invited to bid on opportunities in the geographical area they have expressed interest in.
How to register
If you’re not already enrolled, follow this link to register. If you’re approved, you’ll be automatically contacted when the mini tender opportunity is live. When completing the questionnaire, use the following codes under ‘Tender response’ to show which area you’re registering for:
- Yorkshire district: 545285F356
- Central district: 23D8FHA7JD
- East district: BG3PZE5TDU
- West district: 4KNP9ZF26M
There are currently no opportunities for South district.
