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. Our Prime Minister and our government are committed to creating 30,000ha of woodland a year across the UK 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 was supported by the announcement in the March 2020 budget of a new Nature for Climate Fund ‘to support natural habitats like woodland and peat’.
The post holder will be expected to work in the Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire parts of the South East and London area with occasional travel across the whole area. There will be an option for blended working between an office at Wendover (Chilterns), or another DEFRA office subject to availability alongside site visits and at home.
The Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission have set up a joint tree planting programme for England to support the forestry sector, landowners and communities in the delivery of these ambitions.