How do you create a forest?

The Western Forest is the national forest for the West, launched by the government in March 2025 with £7.5m and long-term political backing. It's the first of a new a generation of national forests and takes inspiration from the original National Forest in the Midlands where, since the 1990s, 10 million trees have been planted — transforming former coalfields and industrial scarred land into vibrant, rolling woodlands, meadows, and lakes.

We span Gloucestershire, the West of England and Wiltshire: a mosaic landscape of trees, pasture, crops and towns, from the Cotswolds to the Mendips. Over the next 25 years, 20 million trees will be planted, restoring woodlands at scale and connecting our cities, countryside and towns to improve the quality of life where people live, work and visit.

Our reasons for being

So why are we creating a national forest for the West? Take your pick from the crises we face – nature continues to decline, rapid climate change is upon us, farm businesses are struggling for survival, and the health of this generation’s children is set to be one of the worst in decades. Time for some action we hear you say!

Where we’re starting

Let’s zoom in and get more specific. This national forest has a focus on supporting farmers and land managers to be better off with trees – creating resilient farm businesses through agroforestry diversification, increased yields and climate resilience. This is part of a just transition for farmers and land mangers as the climate crisis becomes increasingly severe across the region.

At the same time, we’ll be focusing on improving access to new woodlands, trees and nature for communities living in our cities, towns and rural areas. By helping people to spend time in and enjoy nature in a variety of ways, mental health and physical wellbeing will be improved. We’ll take action to support the virtuous circle of forest creation by increasing tourism and visitor engagement across the area and enabling more people to gain forestry and agroforestry skills.

In short

We’ll work to drive economic growth, supporting farm businesses to develop their resilience and diversify through agroforestry, creating accessible, nature-rich landscapes across the West as we do. It’s win, win, win for woodlands, farms and communities — all of which can be positively transformed through the collective effort to create the forest.