Forestry Commission

What do we do? We plant more than 20 million trees every year, to create new woodland and to replace the trees we harvest. We sustainably harvest almost four million tonnes of wood every year from England and Scotland's public forests. That’s more than a third of total domestic production. As Britain’s largest land manager we are custodian of more than 900,000 hectares of land, including some of our best loved and most spectacular landscapes. Our plant health officers inspect wood imports at ports to minimise the risk from foreign pests and diseases. Our experts work with local authorities and landowners to contain and control any spread. We licence tree felling to protect our woodlands for generations to come. We provide grants, licences and advice to private woodland owners to encourage new tree planting and to help keep private forests under sustainable management. We protect species, improve habitats and protect historical sites. We safeguard the national tree collections at Westonbirt, Bedgebury and Kilmun, conserving more than 4000 different taxa – making it one of the most comprehensive tree collection in the world. We take degraded land no one else wants and turn it into green space for the benefit of all. We offer visitors many thousands of waymarked walks and trails, cycle routes and bridle paths, open every day and free of charge. The millions of visitors contribute some £2 billion annually to the economy, mostly into rural areas.