The Forestry Commission in England

 

England was once largely covered with woodland, but over many centuries this was cleared and used to meet the needs of an increasing population.

As long as 1,000 years ago, England's woodland cover was already only 15 per cent of its land area. By the beginning of the 20th century it had reached a low point of 5 per cent.

At the turn of the second millennium, woodland cover has increased but remains low at just 8 per cent. Today, woodlands and forests cover just over 1 million hectares of England, containing around 2 billion trees.

Around three-quarters of England's woodlands and forests are privately owned and about one-quarter are public forests managed by the Forestry Commission, through its agency Forest Enterprise.

There are many thousands of small farm woodlands, but few ownerships with more than 100 hectares (250 acres) of woodland.

Management of woodlands for sporting activities and amenity is an important objective on many woodland estates and on farms. Timber production is typically important on the larger estates.

An increasing number of woodlands are managed for conservation and recreation by charitable trusts and private owners.

In 2007 the Government published an updated Forestry Strategy for England.  The Strategy 'England's Trees, Woods and Forests' sets out the Government's strategic priorities and programmes for forestry in England. The strategy is founded on four guiding principles of

• Long term sustainable management of trees, woods and forests
• The right tree in the right place
• Effective use of public investment
• Synergy with other Government policies

Documents

 Forest Enterprise England Framework (84KB - pdf)