Richard Chapman, Programme Director of the Defra Trees Programme, reflects on the Nature for Climate Fund and shares what the future holds for the sector.
When the Nature for Climate Fund launched in 2020, England's tree planting rates were sitting at around 2,000 hectares a year, a fraction of what the science told us we needed to tackle climate change and restore nature. Six years and more than 27,000 hectares planted later, the picture looks significantly better.
On Thursday, we saw the annual publication of the Forestry Commission Key Performance Indicators 2025–26 and Provisional Woodland Statistics 2026. These showed that 6,386 hectares of new tree planting was undertaken in England in 2025–26, marking continued progress to increase England’s tree canopy and meet the 2025 Environment Act target. Of this, 5,250 hectares (6.9 million trees) were in the form of woodland, and 925,000 trees (1,137 hectares equivalent) were trees outside woodland.
The woodland creation rates published last week were slightly lower than the figure for 2024–25 (which were the highest in 20 years). We know from our colleagues that planting in the early part of the season was challenging, pushing some of the planting further into spring. Despite these seasonal challenges, the planting achieved over the past year was still more than twice the annual planting rate achieved between 2019 and 2022.
The last two years of tree planting is close to the combined first four years of the Nature for Climate Fund Programme. The continued momentum puts us in a good place for future planting seasons.
Adding a tree guard to new planting on Cabilla Manor Farm. What the Nature for Climate Fund achievedThe Nature for Climate Fund Programme concluded in March 2026 with over 20,000 hectares planted through the programme and over 27,000 hectares planted across the six years.
As when anything significant comes to a close, it is right to take stock of what has been achieved and what we have learned. It is also important that we ensure these things are reflected in our work ahead as part of the new Defra Trees Programme, which began in April 2026.
The numbers only tell part of the story. The Nature for Climate Fund didn't just plant trees, it invested in the foundations needed to plant them at scale and to sustain that effort over the long term. It grew the nursery supply chain, expanded the forestry workforce and developed the England Woodland Creation Offer into a flagship grant scheme that is used by increasing numbers of farmers, landowners and public bodies across the country.
Benefits for nature, communities and the economyIndependent ecological analysis by Liverpool John Moores University found that planting carried out under the Nature for Climate Fund is on track, at maturity, to create between 6,735 and 13,437 hectares of new ecological networks.
Trees are providing habitat corridors and stepping stones for wildlife, improving water quality, building soil health and helping communities become more resilient to extreme weather.
Tree planting at Cummersdale. Credit: Raise Cumbria Community ForestThe programme also reached communities beyond rural England. Around 14% of all publicly accessible Community Forest schemes were planted in the top 10% most deprived areas nationally – providing a reminder that trees are not just a rural story, but an opportunity for healthier, greener places for everyone.
Between 2020 and 2026, Community Forests planted over 8,358 hectares of new trees and woodlands, creating a positive impact that will last for generations. These new woodlands are helping communities across the country tackle climate change, breathe cleaner air, manage flood risk and connect with nature on their doorstep.
Over the same period, the England Woodland Creation Offer has supported the planting of 7,169 hectares of new woodland. Together, these schemes represent a significant and lasting contribution to England's tree cover.
We also launched the first of three new national forests committed to in the government's manifesto. The Western Forest, near Bristol, has the ambition to create a more sustainable agricultural landscape by increasing canopy cover through agroforestry, while also improving access to nature for urban communities.
Building a stronger forestry sectorDelivering at this scale has not been straightforward. Early planting was slower than originally hoped, but the forestry sector has grown in response to sustained government investment and precision planting. This has maximised yield and has improved considerably as schemes have matured.
Last year, we updated the Timber in Construction Roadmap and since then, we are continuing to work in collaboration with the forestry, wood processing, and construction sectors to deliver the priority themes set out within the roadmap. This includes engaging in wider efforts, such as the National Wood Strategy.
Our collaboration focuses on developing best practices, researching innovative timber product and increasing the circularity of timber construction supply chains.
Whinfell Forest.Expanding the use of timber supports a circular economy, plays a key role in meeting net zero by 2050 and stimulates tree planting, creating important habitats. It also drives economic growth – in 2023, the trees and forestry sector supported 36,700 UK jobs, with forestry and wood processing contributing £2.8 billion to the UK economy.
The sector has told us consistently that it needs long-term certainty to invest in workforce, skills and tree supply. It is one of the central reasons why the new Defra Trees Programme has been designed as a programme – not just a collection of individual grants – with investment stretching to 2030 and work already taking place to look beyond that.
What the new Defra Trees Programme will doThe Defra Trees Programme takes everything the Nature for Climate Fund built and goes further. Backed by over £1 billion in investment this Parliament, the programme will plant even more.
The England Woodland Creation Offer will continue as the flagship grant for farmers and landowners. The programme will continue to invest in England's Community Forests and their Trees for Climate Programme, which will deliver another 9,000 hectares of new woodland by 2030. The programme will also scope how it can improve the support for trees outside woodland.
Richard Stanford, Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, explains:
"The Defra Trees Programme continues to support England’s tree planting targets and reflects our sustained ambition for trees and woodland. With over a billion pounds of investment, the Forestry Commission is proud to play a central role in supporting landowners and farmers, increasing all types of woodland including those which strengthen domestic timber security.
Through this work, we are securing a reliable homegrown timber supply to help build the sustainable homes of the future, while delivering lasting benefits for nature and climate. We also have a key role in regulating all woodland creation to ensure it meets the UK Forestry Standard."
Two sheep in a field, against a backdrop of woodland in the countryside. New national forests and community woodlandsTwo further new national forests will be established, one in the Oxford-Cambridge corridor and one in either the Midlands or north of England. These will build on the momentum of the Western Forest.
The National Forest Company will work alongside Defra and the successful Development Partners to help identify and establish the new national forests, providing new publicly accessible green spaces that can anchor economic growth and wellbeing.
Unlocking investmentOne of the most significant new developments of the Defra Trees Programme is the Woodland Carbon Purchase Fund. Still in development, we are looking to attract private investment into forestry and tree planting, providing confidence in the demand for woodland carbon over decades.
The programme will also continue to invest in the sector itself: in forestry apprenticeships, in nursery capacity, in seed sourcing, and in supporting under-represented groups to enter and progress in the industry.
A shared missionEngland's woodlands soak up around 8.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year1 – roughly 18% of all agricultural emissions.2 These trees will play an increasingly important role over time in the carbon savings associated with England's woodlands.
To meet our 2030 and 2050 targets, this programme alongside other Defra programmes, as well as the wider sector and private investors, all need to work together. We believe the foundations are in place.
The sector is more capable and more confident than it was in 2020. The grants are better designed and the evidence base is stronger. The ambition to make England a greener, more nature-rich country is unchanged. It has taken a huge effort to get here, with an enormous amount of hard from dedicated organisations and people. Thank you.
The Nature for Climate Fund planted the seeds. The Defra Trees Programme will help them grow.
If you are interested in planting trees or creating woodland, find out about our tree planting funding and grants.
Biodiversity and ecosystem services: greenhouse gas removal by forests ↩︎Agri-climate report 2024 ↩︎ seen at 09:41, 29 June in Forestry Commission.