National Forest Company

The National Forest Company pioneers landscape-scale environmental regeneration through tree planting and sustainable land management in post-industrial terrains, founded in 1995 to transform scarred mining landscapes into thriving forests blending ecology, community, and economy. Core values of public benefit, inclusivity, partnership, and environmental stewardship drive funding decisions, emphasizing evidence-led restoration, climate resilience, and equitable access to nature for all. Their philosophy views change as holistic transformation where people, nature, and economy interconnect via active collaboration, capacity building, and community empowerment, enabling long-term biodiversity gains, carbon sequestration, and social wellbeing.

Thematic priorities center on woodland creation, habitat restoration, biodiversity enhancement, carbon capture, and sustainable land use, alongside urban-rural regeneration through public amenities, recreational paths, community woodlands, and accessible green spaces. They support nature-based health and wellbeing interventions including health walks, therapeutic outdoor activities, and green exercise for individuals experiencing social isolation, mental health challenges, or limited nature access; education and skills development via forest-linked training programmes, school outreach, and youth volunteering; community engagement through volunteer-driven conservation, peer support groups for environmental stewardship, and inclusive outdoor activities for families, children, young people, disadvantaged groups, marginalised communities, and those with fewer opportunities; cultural and arts projects integrating creative arts, festivals, and landscape-inspired events; green business innovation, sustainable tourism, and economic diversification via nature-based enterprises. Interventions promote preventative wellbeing, community-led restoration, trauma-informed nature therapy, and holistic resilience-building for rural and post-industrial populations facing environmental degradation and health inequities.

Exclusions encompass projects outside the National Forest boundary lacking direct community benefits, core unrestricted funding, or standalone individual activities without landscape integration. Priority beneficiaries are local post-industrial communities, youth, families, schools, volunteers, and marginalised groups with barriers to green spaces, emphasizing inclusive access for isolated individuals and harder-to-reach populations. Distinctive for place-based ambition, active partnering beyond grants, and "Forest for everyone" ethos fusing environmental restoration, social cohesion, economic vitality, and innovation in nature-connected living.