Midlands Engine Partnership launches the Midlands Forest Network

Midlands Engine partners came together to launch the Midlands Forest Network (MFN) last month at an event in Birmingham.

Led by a partnership between the Woodland Trust, National Forest Company and Midlands Engine, and supported by an initial investment of c £400,000 from Defra and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Midlands Forest Network (MFN) seeks to bring about new opportunities and investment for the protection, restoration and creation of woods and trees in the Midlands. The developing network will thread through landscapes, urban spaces and communities to deliver benefits for people, nature and business.

The launch marked an important step since the project’s initial announcement in August 2023, and brought together around 100 key stakeholders and leaders from a varied mix of sectors and counties across the Midlands.

Keynote speeches demonstrating the strength of this partnership and the need for the Network to scale and connect woodland initiatives across the region, included:

• Sir John Peace, Chairman, Midlands Engine Partnership
• Darren Moorcroft, Chief Executive of The Woodland Trust
• John Everitt, Chief Executive of The National Forest Company
• Naomi Matthiessen, Director of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ tree-planting programme
• Liz Shaw, Head of Engagement (Midlands and East) and Julian Glover, Chair of England, Midlands and East Committee from The National Lottery Heritage Fund

There were also panel discussions on local nature recovery strategies and green finance involving Adam Tunningley from Natural England, Richard Fitton from Finance Earth, Arti Bareja from Grant Thornton, and Josh Hawkins from Midlands Engine.

The MFN project team is now engaging with partners across the region to map out new and existing woodland projects.

Upcoming workshops and forum events will give stakeholders the opportunity to network with other woodland initiatives across the Midlands, share learning, mapping, funding mechanisms and best practice.

View National Forest Company Chief Executive, John Everitt, and Dr Darren Moorcroft, Chief Executive of the Woodland Trust, explain more about the MFN here

To learn more about the Midlands Forest Network and opportunities to get involved to shape the MFN’s strategy, click here