What is Forest of Avon?  

Welcome to the Forest of Avon; England’s Community Forest for your region, from the Mendips to the Cotswolds, Bristol, Bath and beyond. Your community forest, established in 1992, is dedicated to connecting people to trees and woodlands and we’ve planted over 1.2 million trees since we started out! As well as increasing tree canopy cover, we are working to care for woodlands for everyone to enjoy and to provide specialist woodland health and wellbeing projects to help everyone benefit from time spent in nature. 

How does Forest of Avon benefit our local environment and community? 

Tree cover provides a wide range of benefits to the environment and to our quality of life, as well as addressing the climate and nature emergencies, which are starting to have greater impacts on us, our homes and wildlife.  

Since 2020, we have been delivering a programme of woodland creation which includes hedgerows, wood pasture, street trees, orchards and food forests. All of this brings flood management, air quality, cooling, food sources and health benefits to us all. Our tree specialists have delivered hundreds of projects, large and small, partnering with a diverse range of landowners. 

Through the Bathscape project, we offer free woodland management advice to any woodland owners around Bath. We run and support into many other projects – see our website to see our range of activity.  

I have some land and am thinking about planting trees. What shall I do? 

We offer a flexible, expert led woodland establishment grant through the government’s Trees for Climate programme and we are developing our programme for the 2025/ 26 planting season.  

Visit our web page at Grants to plant trees on your land in the Forest of Avon – Forest of Avon for more information or email us at treesforclimate@forestofavontrust.org. One of our dedicated tree officers will contact you to realise your tree planting ambitions – whether they be woodland, hedgerow, wood pasture, natural regeneration or orchard shaped. Not only do we offer up to 100% of your project’s costs and yearly maintenance payments, we can also handle all the design, planning and surveying paperwork for you!  

How can I get involved? 

You can join our volunteer days through the winter season when it is best to plant the trees or, in the summer, we run woodland management and maintenance days. Whether you’re an individual, business leader, family or community group, you can help grow the Forest and have some fun too. It’s a fantastic way to learn new skills, meet wonderful people and enjoy the great outdoors. 

So, get ready for sunshine, fresh air, mud, rain and the joy of making your area a greener place!    

Should we know anything else? 

Part of our mission is to ensure everyone can access and enjoy the benefits of trees. Spending time together in nature helps people to relax and can relieve anxiety and depression, while also helping to build friendships, which is why we’ve been running inclusive woodland activities for decades. Our specialist woodland wellbeing projects are offered to those living with dementia and their carers as well as other groups, offering valuable respite from the stresses and strains of everyday life.  Visit our web page Health and Wellbeing – Forest of Avon to learn more about our work or consider donating to help us help more people benefit from time in nature.

How can people stay informed about the Forest of Avon’s activities? 

Sign up for our newsletter at www.forestofavon.org or follow us on Instagram, facebook or Linked-In.