Our principles

These principles set out who we work with. Real and enduring change, which fully realises the benefits for people, nature, and climate will only come through collective working.

No one organisation can achieve this on their own. We all have a part to play, and we all stand to benefit. We work with a range of people and organisations on delivery and the crucial supporting work that underpins this.

7. The Mersey Forest team​ and partners
   1. Seek to continually strengthen, develop, and establish new partnerships, which are central to our work and to achieving real and enduring change. We are a partnership organisation. Working in partnership is essential to achieve well coordinated and impactful large-scale environmental goals.
   2. Deliver The Mersey Forest Plan together, with the work of the partnership supported by a dedicated Mersey Forest team.
      • Our core partnership and Steering Group consists of eight local authorities – Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens, and Wirral – as well as the Forestry Commission, Environment Agency, Natural England, National Trust, Woodland Trust, and Community Forest Trust.
      • Our local authority partnership provides us with a democratic mandate to deliver.
   3. Work with a wide range of public, private, research, charitable, and community organisations, from local to national and international levels, and from delivery, to supporting work. This includes:
      • Critical local partners include communities, landowners, land managers, and farmers, businesses, and schools. These are considered in separate principles.
      • Government departments, such as DEFRA.
      • The charitable sector, including larger national charities as well as many smaller charities who have strong links with local communities.
      • The environment sector across Cheshire and Merseyside, including through Local Nature Partnerships. and River Catchment Partnerships, Cheshire Wildlife Trust, and the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester, and North Merseyside.
      • Cross-sector collaboration to achieve shared outcomes. For example, working with water, education, arts and culture, and health sectors.
      • With regard to health, we work closely with Primary and Secondary Care Networks, as well as third sector organisations. This includes GP surgeries, community partnerships, social prescribing teams, and community organisations.
      • Town and parish councils.
      • Academics and researchers. Over the years we have developed partnerships with universities and research bodies, and will continue to do so. See principle 14.
      • Our work is supported by the Community Forest Trust, Community Forest Land Trust, and Mersey Forest Foundation charities.
   4. Work as one of England’s Community Forests to support and amplify our voice nationally. We are a network of fifteen Community Forests.
   5. Work as part of the strategic Northern Forest to deliver at a wider landscape scale. Working with the Woodland Trust and other Community Forests, the Northern Forest stretches from Liverpool and Chester to the Yorkshire coast, aspiring to establish at least 50 million trees and bring woods into better management across the north of England over 25 years.

8. Communities​
   1. Work alongside people to help them achieve what is needed in their local communities. Communities have so much to benefit from trees and woods, and working with them helps to ensure local buy-in and long-term stewardship. They are essential ambassadors for our work and are key to nurturing a culture of trees, woods, and other habitats. It is “people power” that will make this happen. Landowners, land managers, and farmers, businesses, and schools are also all part of their local communities. These are considered in separate principles.
   2. Create opportunities for communities to contribute and lead, and for mutual learning.
   3. Provide a range of opportunities, routes, and support for people to get involved. These need to reflect that communities have differing needs and ways of engaging – one size does not fit all. This is the result of a range of factors, including different life stages, motivations and interests, time availability, language, health and fitness levels, and financial resources.
   4. Involve, learn from, and work with diverse local communities and groups, to nurture a culture of trees, woods, and other habitats within their communities. This includes:
      • Voluntary groups with a focus on trees and woodland establishment and care within their local communities, can help to bring ambitions forward.
      • “Friends of”, allotment, and gardening groups who help look after local green spaces and woodlands, and engage with their local communities.
      • People whose voices are seldom heard, but who have different perspectives to offer. This includes young and old people, diverse ethnicities and faiths, and intersections of these communities. This can build a sense of local and global belonging, and connections across people, places and time. It can help us to nurture a culture of trees, woods, and other habitats.
   5. Promote wellbeing and nature connectedness through opportunities to get involved. Use the five steps to wellbeing (connect, get active, take notice, learn, and give) and the five pathways to nature connectedness (senses, emotion, beauty, meaning, and compassion) as a guide.

9. Landowners, managers, and farmers​
   1. Advise and support public and private landowners and managers, including farmers, to establish and look after trees, woods, and other habitats on their land. See principles 4.3 and 5.3 in particular. The Mersey Forest is a growing network of trees, woods, and other habitats on public and privately owned land. Businesses and schools are other landowners and managers, but are considered in separate principles. England’s Community Forests have an agreed guide for farmers and landowners on working with them.
   2. Recognise that different landowners and managers have different objectives, and work alongside them to meet these, whilst bringing benefits for people, nature, and climate.
   3. Work with farmers to incorporate and manage trees on farms, whilst supporting food security and agricultural businesses.
      • Trees on farms can bring many benefits including sustaining healthy soils, providing shelter for livestock, benefiting pollinators and natural predators in arable farms, reducing nutrient runoff, improving water and air quality, increasing climate and flood resilience, alongside increasing wildlife abundance and storing carbon, which contributes to net zero ambitions. They also have potential for income diversification, including through harvested timber, fruits and nuts.
      • Trees on farms can take many forms, including agroforestry systems, orchards, hedgerows and hedgerow trees, shelterbelts, and copses and woodlands on marginal or lower quality land.
      • Support a range of farmers, from larger estates to smaller and tenant farmers.
      • Use latest evidence and knowledge to inform how best to work with farmers and incorporate trees into farms.
   4. Harness the connections between landowners and local communities, to nurture a culture of trees, woods, and other habitats.

10. Businesses​
    1. Encourage businesses to support our work as part of their climate, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Environmental, Social and Governance commitments. Our work brings real impacts for people, nature, and climate.
    2. Embed a respect for tree, woods, and other habitats throughout their business’ culture.
    3. Develop a range of ways to involve businesses. Including through:
       • Private green finance, donations, sponsorship, and corporate partnerships.
       • Offsetting residual carbon emissions as part of their climate commitments.
       • Volunteering opportunities for staff.
       • Pro bono work.
       • Creating more attractive places for their employees to live, work, and play.
    4. Advise and support businesses to establish, look after, and nurture a culture of trees, woods, and other habitats on their own land. Greener business settings can help to attract and retain employees, and effective use of these spaces can contribute to their wellbeing and productivity.
    5. Harness the connections between businesses and local communities, to nurture a culture of trees, woods, and other habitats.

11. Schools​
    1. Advise and support schools to establish and look after trees, woods, and other habitats in their grounds, and to make use of them for play and learning. Even small spaces provide crucial opportunities for play and outdoor learning. Trees and woods can support children’s mental and physical health and wellbeing, supporting their cognitive and emotional learning.
    2. Embed trees, woods, and other habitats throughout the curriculum and school life. Provide opportunities for spontaneous play, exploration, and for children and young people to develop personal connections with trees and woods in school grounds, experiential education and making use of trees and woods as a learning resource, the provision of outdoor lessons including Forest School. Children and young people will benefit from any trees and woodlands established today, and will be responsible for their future care.
    3. Share learning resources with schools.
    4. Understand the career opportunities for students relating to trees and woods.
    5. Harness the connections between schools and local communities, to nurture a culture of trees, woods, and other habitats.