A £7.8 million fund has opened to help local authorities get the fresh manpower and skills

A £7.8 million fund has opened to help local authorities get the fresh manpower and skills they need to get forest creation and tree planting projects off the ground.

The Forest Development Accelerator Fund will give financial support to at least 50 local governments to help them hire the experts they need to increase tree planting and woodland creation commitments.

Successful applications to the fund will be granted up to £150,000 apiece as part of the £750 million Nature for Climate Fund, which is being delivered by the Forestry Commission in cooperation with Defra.

Project managers, forest creation officers, community engagement officers, financing consultants, or expert advisers, such as landscape architects or archaeologists, might be among the newly trained or engaged employees available to Local Authorities across England.

The staff will work together to establish planting plans and capital financing proposals in 2023/2024 and 2024/2025, allowing for faster delivery of additional forests.

This will assist to guarantee that communities across England benefit from living near to nature, which will improve health and wellbeing, generate new habitat for wildlife, and contribute to the Government’s overall goal of tripling tree planting rates by the end of this Parliament.

Local governments can play a critical role in solving the twin problems of climate change and biodiversity loss by investing in tree planting and forest development, according to Sir William Worsley, Chair of the Forestry Commission.

The Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund will assist local governments across England in putting their plans into effect.

This fund will assist extend our nation’s beloved treescapes and increase the number of qualified and experienced workers so that everyone may benefit from the social, environmental, and economic advantages they provide.

Local governments are vital to the UK’s transition to a cleaner, greener future, according to Hannah Bartram, Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT).

To be successful, we must invest in our green infrastructure, which includes large-scale tree planting to combat climate change and the biodiversity threat.

ADEPT is excited to support the introduction of the Forest Creation Accelerator Fund, which will help local governments increase their capacity for expert skills, allowing them to move forward with their tree and woodland planting programs faster.

All upper-tier authorities are eligible to apply (county councils, unitary councils, London boroughs, metropolitan boroughs, and combined authorities).

Local governments will be asked to describe the steps they plan to take to enhance capacity, in exchange for a commitment to plant a certain amount of additional woods or trees by the winter planting season of 2024/25.

The application deadline is Friday, July 8, 2022, at 5 p.m.