Our monthly policy and research blog updates you on the latest work at the Institute and how you can get involved.
Institute News
This month the Institute brought together a group of 20 senior practitioners and leads in organisations across the sector to discuss environmental land management and agricultural transition in England. It is rare that any sector can speak with one voice, but there was overwhelming agreement from the full range of interests and expertise including Confor, Woodland Trust, Royal Forestry Society and the CLA. We are now arranging further meetings with Defra to ensure that trees and woodland are properly incorporated in what they develop and enabled to deliver what they must for climate and nature. Read more about the meeting here.
Our skills work continues following the positive engagement from our position paper last year. We have developed an action plan with activities for the Institute and for the sector to help us keep up the pressure and make skills development part of everything we do.
We recently published a response to the Northern Ireland consultation on future agricultural policy. We focussed on the challenge of competing land use policies, the importance of a natural capital approach and the need to work together, including enabling farmers to access the opportunities of woodland creation. Our thanks to the members who helped us formulate the response.
Read our response
We now need your input on the Biodiversity Net Gain consultation currently out – please send your thoughts to our Policy Manager, Jemima Cooper.
We are keeping in touch with Welsh Government as they take forward the recommendations from the trees and timber deep dive, including developing a new woodland creation offer to replace Glastir. Mike Ingoldby MICFor kindly represented the Institute at a biomass workshop held by Defra to explore opportunities and barriers, and we are now developing an event so members can share their thoughts.
Sector News
Government Policy, Funding & Regulation
- New woodland creation scheme coming in Wales after deep dive recommendations – read
- Woodland creation campaign in England – read
- Local Authority Treescapes Fund and Urban Tree Challenge Fund to reopen this year – read
- Woods into Management and Tree Production Innovation Funds – read
- Applications are open for the Landscape Recovery scheme – read
- Forestry Commission grants and regulations update – read
- Scottish Forestry sector group to help small woodland owners – read
- Forestry and Land Scotland deer management strategy – read
- Changes to rules on red diesel use from April (exemptions for forestry, agriculture and horticulture) – read
Advice & Guidance
- Planning advice on ancient woodlands – read
- Integrating Trees Network for farmers and crofters – read
- Building natural capital – read
- Woodland creation guide – read
Plant Health
- Additional measures to control Phytophthora pluvialis – read
- P. pluvialis found at a number of sites in Wales – read
- Report any tree pests and disease sightings via TreeAlert – read
- Legislative changes to plant health measures from March – read
Health & Safety
- Incident notification after worker killed felling tree – read
- Employers’ responsibilities to workers regarding the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) are changing from 6 April – read
Climate Change
- Dr Andrew Cameron on productive forests and climate change – read
- Committee report on nature-based solutions for climate change – read
- Baroness Young on trees and woodlands – read
- Forest Research enhancing resilience video – watch https://vimeo.com/667207574
- Forest Research resilience framework for implementation – read
- Forest Research climate change series – read
Skills
- Groundbreaking degree-level forestry apprenticeship programme announced – read
- CHES & IES respond to DfE Climate Strategy – read
Research
