Never has there been a more important time for trees and forests to help tackle the climate emergency and provide a much-needed sanctuary for people and wildlife. We aim to at least treble tree planting rates in England by the end of this Parliament, reflecting England’s contribution to meeting the UK’s overall target of planting 30,000 hectares per year by the end of this Parliament. This acceleration in current planting rates in England will contribute to meeting the net-zero by 2050 ambitions, and to government’s wider environmental targets. This is supported by the £640m Nature for Climate Fund announced in the March 2020 budget.
The Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission have set up a joint NCF tree programme for England to support the forestry sector, landowners, and communities in the delivery of these ambitions.
Forestry Commission leads the delivery of the following parts of the tree planting programme:
- Woodland creation on public land.
- Woodland creation on private land.
- Promotion and engagement.
If you are passionate about the role of forestry in creating a better future for England and want to play a key part in realising that we want to hear from you.
By joining the Forestry Commission, you will become part of a team of passionate, committed colleagues, and be able to build on a wealth of expertise to take this ambitious work forward. You will be able to make your mark by helping the Forestry Commission meet these ambitious targets as part of the Development Woodland Officer programme developing future forestry talent.
The Development Woodland Officer programme is an exciting new career pathway into the Forestry Commission, the programme is a development focused opportunity for those seeking a career in forestry who many not have a wide ranging or indeed any forestry or land management experience and/or qualifications. At the heart of the programme is a 3-year development programme designed to led and coach those on the programme through a wide range of forestry and silvicultural experiences and learning activities to build on individuals own forestry experience and knowledge, not just from within the Forestry Commission but across the entire forestry sector.