The Institute’s Head of Policy & Partnerships, Jo Fox-Evans, was in London on Tuesday 5 March 2024 to attend the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) Future of Trees and Forestry Forum.
‘Team Tree’ at Defra updated attendees on the achievements of the Nature for Climate Fund Tree Programme, including progress on planting targets, the Timber in Construction roadmap, guidance on tax treatment of trees, Woodland Access Implementation Plan and the Professional Forester Apprenticeship programme.
Attendees included representatives from the Forestry Commission, Confor, National Trust, NFU, Community Forests, RSPB, Natural England, Grown in Britain, Royal Forestry Society, Arboricultural Association and others. There were also break out sessions to share best practice on putting research into practice and on monitoring and evaluation. The Defra team provided updates on the Environmental Land Management scheme and the forum ended with a ‘Pitch Us A Policy’ session which generated a lively discussion.
