Regenerative forestry

As a society, we face mounting challenges from a rapidly changing climate and biodiversity loss. Forests cover 13% of the UK - the second biggest land use after farming. As such, forest owners and foresters have considerable power and influence to manage forests for our climate, nature and people.

Forests are an incredible resource with the power to:

• help tackle the climate crisis by storing carbon in living trees and improving soils 
• provide climate-friendly materials such as timber and fibre
• create havens for wildlife 
• change and support meaningful livelihoods in the forestry and farming sectors  
• support our physical and mental health when we spend time in them

Regenerative forestry sets out proposals for policymakers, the forestry sector and civil society for how we can collectively better manage forests for our climate, nature and people. This includes how we currently manage existing forests, but also, how we create new forest areas.

What does regenerative forestry look like?

The future of forestry, one that delivers for climate, nature and people, means:  

• planting more trees, especially on farms and increasing forest cover from 13 to 19% by 2050

• increasing forest diversity by planting a wider range of tree species and allowing natural processes 

• protecting forest soils and the forest ecosystem by reducing any soil disturbance and maintaining forest canopy

• creating productive forests that provide climate-friendly and high-quality timber

• integrating more trees and forests into farming, bringing foresters and farmers closer together

• people enjoying the physical and mental benefits that trees and forests bring

Regenerative forestry is fully integrated with nature-friendly, or agroecological, farming and conservation to achieve the most impact.

What are we asking policy makers to do?

We are asking policy makers to:

• develop a joined-up framework for land use, which supports and manages farming and forestry in an integrated way

• use public funds and regulation to reward the benefits to climate, nature and people from integrated land use and the adoption of regenerative forest management practices

• align research and technical development to support forest owners to transition to regenerative forestry management practices

• create a vision for all government-owned forests (not simply exemplar sites) that embraces regenerative forestry throughout this public resource

What are we asking forest owners, managers and forest product industries to do?

We are asking forest owners, managers and forest product industries to:

• adopt regenerative forest management practices across the entire forest to deliver optimal climate, nature and social benefits

• implement a step change in the species diversity and in-stand age structure of timber producing forests, with a presumption for the maintenance of forest conditions by reducing reliance on clear felling and the mainstream adoption of lower-impact silviculture systems, such as continuous cover

• work with, and develop new ways to support, farmers in the integrated management of woodlands and trees within farming systems and the wider landscape

The evidence and research