Our principles

These principles set out why we do the work that we do. This is to bring real and enduring benefits for people, nature, and climate.

Trees and woods are a nature-based solution to many of the urgent crises and challenges that we currently face – climate, nature, timber security, and physical and mental health.

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, one of the least forested in Europe, and the world’s second largest net importer of forest products. Major public health challenges include obesity, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory conditions, anxiety, depression, and stress. And all pathways to net zero point to the necessity for more trees to offset residual greenhouse gas emissions.

It is crucial that we act now on these issues. In general, the starting point for our work is trees and woods, but these cannot be considered in isolation and must contribute to a thriving mosaic of other habitats.

1. Enrich people’s lives and livelihoods
   1. Balance the delivery of benefits for people with those for nature and climate, delivering on all three where possible. In many cases these will be highly compatible – our economy, livelihoods, wellbeing, and climate resilience ultimately depend on nature. There may be some trade-offs to be considered on a case by case basis. Use evidence to inform and guide delivery effectively, and in a sustainable and just way.
   2. Work with trees, woods, and other habitats to benefit the lives of people today and in future generations, improving mental, physical, social, and spiritual health and wellbeing. This comes through:
      • Better access to natural spaces, which provide people with opportunities to realise 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).
      • The provision of on-site amenities, infrastructure and public rights of way, and connections to these in the local area, which enable visits to to be promoted, repeated, and enduring.
      • Greener neighbourhoods foster community pride and further promote health by improving air and water quality, regulating noise, reducing heat stress, and encouraging active travel through the provision of more attractive routes.
      • Happier and healthier people are also good for the economy, leading to reduced healthcare costs and increased productivity.
   3. Work with trees, woods, and other habitats to support people’s livelihoods, underpinning local economies, providing resources, and supporting farm businesses, food, and timber security. They:
      • Improve local environments and set the scene for growth, investment, housing, and business, and a resilient local economy.
      • Create jobs, employment, and develop skills in nurseries, forestry, arboriculture, land management, tourism, and other sectors.
      • Can boost timber security and contribute to a circular economy, with wood products and arisings from their management providing materials and fuel for construction, housing, industry, artisans and makers.
      • Support farming businesses and food security by providing shelter and shade for livestock, improving soil quality, helping manage water flow, soil erosion, and water quality, attracting pollinators and other wildlife, and increasing carbon storage. They can also be managed as a timber resource and to diversify income. Trees on farms do not have to come at the expense of food security, they can be incorporated in many ways, including hedgerow trees, shelterbelts, agroforestry schemes, orchards, and smaller blocks of woodland on less productive or marginal land.
   4. Involve people in what we do. As set out in principle 6 “nurture a culture of trees, woods, and other habitats” and the “Who principles”.
   5. Take opportunities to deliver at scale, whilst prioritising areas of greatest need for people. As set out in 17.3 of the “Where principles”.
2. Help nature flourish
   1. Balance the delivery of benefits for nature with those for people and climate, delivering on all three where possible. In many cases these will be highly compatible – our economy, livelihoods, wellbeing, and climate resilience ultimately depend on nature. There may be some trade-offs to be considered on a case by case basis. Use evidence to inform and guide delivery effectively, and in a sustainable and just way.
   2. Work with trees, woods, and other habitats to benefit nature, using the principles of “more, bigger, better, and joined” to halt biodiversity loss, and recover and boost biodiversity and species abundance. Important aspects for nature include:
      • Referring to Local Nature Recovery Strategies. This includes the mapped opportunity areas, measures and actions relating to trees, woods and hedgerows. It also includes supporting priority species such as red squirrel, willow tit, bats, and black poplar.
      • Establishing more natural and semi-natural wooded habitats, including wet, riparian and clough woodland, and incorporating other habitats (such as ponds, scrub, edge habitats, wildflower meadows, rides, and open habitats) with appropriate ground flora, to support diverse and abundant wildlife species. (See principle 4 “Establish trees, woods, and other habitats”).
      • Establishing bigger and more naturally functioning wooded habitats by buffering and extending existing woods to provide refuges from which species can colonise the landscape.
      • Better looking after woodlands to improve their ecological condition. Including increasing structural, species and age complexity and diversity, thinning, coppicing, and re-stocking, establishing appropriate ground flora, incorporating other habitats (such as ponds, scrub, edge habitats, wildflower meadows, rides, and open habitats) that provide niches for species, using natural processes and active management to create dynamic well-functioning ecosystems, retention of deadwood, increasing resilience to and control of invasive species (both flora and fauna), disease, pollution, recreational pressures, and climate change. (See principle 5 “Look after trees, woods, and other habitats”).
      • Joining up woodlands, using trees in the wider landscape, woods, and well managed hedgerows to allow species to move through and colonise the landscape, enhancing their resilience to climate change.
      • Focusing on buffering and improving ancient semi natural woods, as the surviving remnants of our natural ecosystems, along with planted ancient woods, long-established woods, wood pasture and parkland, and veteran trees.
      • Work with partners looking to reintroduce species, such as beaver, dormouse, and pine marten, to ensure that there is sufficient habitat to support any reintroduction.
   3. Ensure that tree and woodland establishment and care is not at the expense of other existing habitats. Give careful consideration to areas prioritised for other habitats in the Local Nature Recovery Strategies, including peatlands. Assess sites prior to establishment, and incorporate other habitats into schemes. Trees and scrub, at appropriate levels, can be vital components of other habitats, including grasslands, heathlands and wetlands, adding structure, diversity and resources for birds, invertebrates and mammals. In some places the best approach for nature will be no trees at all.
   4. Provide people with opportunities to experience, connect with, respect and give back to nature. As set out in principle 6 “nurture a culture of trees, woods, and other habitats” and the “Who principles”.
   5. Take opportunities to deliver at scale, whilst prioritising areas of greatest need for nature. As set out in 17.3 of the “Where principles”.
3. Strengthen climate resilience
   1. Balance the delivery of benefits for climate with those for people and nature, delivering on all three where possible. In many cases these will be highly compatible – our economy, livelihoods, wellbeing, and climate resilience ultimately depend on nature. There may be some trade-offs to be considered on a case by case basis. Use evidence to inform and guide delivery effectively, and in a sustainable and just way.
   2. Work with trees, woods, and other habitats to help mitigate climate change, sequestering and storing carbon, and reducing emissions.
      • Trees and woods sequester and store carbon in their woody biomass and soils. Timber harvested from woodlands can be used to make items and products, with the wood of these products continuing to act as a carbon store. This helps to offset residual greenhouse gas emissions and meet net zero targets.
      • Opportunities can be explored for the permanent removal of carbon through biochar and other technologies.
      • Timber, wood products and fuels can be used in construction, housing and industry as a lower impact alternative to other materials which emit more carbon to produce.
      • The provision of local woodlands and green spaces, and attractive green active travel routes, can also encourage people to travel less by car, with its associated emissions. This also helps to improve health and wellbeing.
   3. Work with trees, woods, and other habitats to adapt to climate change, helping to manage impacts such as flooding and extreme heat.
      • Trees and woods help with the management of water quantity and quality. They slow flows and reduce river and surface water flooding, stabilise soils, and improve water quality. They can be incorporated into natural flood management and sustainable drainage systems, which can include the use of wet, riparian and upstream woodland, leaky dams, tree and hedgerow barriers, and urban street trees.
      • Urban trees help manage heatwaves, reducing heat stress and mortality, and the need for air conditioning (which would increase emissions further). They provide evaporative cooling and shading, and are more effective than other types of greenspace at providing ongoing cooling during periods of drought when there is less water available. Trees and woods can also help more generally with local microclimates, providing shelter from wind and cold as well as the sun.
      • Trees also provide shade for livestock on farms, and riparian trees benefit aquatic biodiversity by reducing river temperatures.
      • Improved habitat connectivity aids species movement in a changing climate.
   4. Take opportunities to deliver at scale, whilst prioritising areas of greatest need for climate. As set out in 17.3 of the “Where principles”.