Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund

How to accelerate local authorities’ tree planting ambitions

In November 2022, 57 local authorities across England were awarded nearly £10 million in funding to accelerate tree planting activity, create green jobs and boost access to nature.

The fund is administered by the Forestry Commission in partnership with DEFRA. It is providing local authorities with financial support to boost capacity and resource, helping local authorities to employ, train up and bring on board professional expertise to accelerate the delivery of tree planting and woodland creation commitments.

The ultimate goal of the fund is to enable more trees planted particularly in winter seasons 2023/24 and 2024/25. The Fund will create new green jobs and boost access to nature.

It is expected that more than 100 new green jobs will be created across the country as a result, with an emphasis on upskilling professionals from outside the forestry sector. This will help to expand the industry’s workforce, address skills shortages and help to grow the economy.    

ADEPT is promoting the fund and providing technical support including running a discussion forum for the successful local authorities and holding a series of bi-monthly webinars with a range of case studies and topics to increase knowledge. 

If you have any questions you can contact the Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund team via [email protected]

You can also find out about the Woodland Creation Accelerator forum here.