The Forest Partnership
The North East Community Forest is overseen by a Forest Partnership, which brings together the seven local authorities of Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland and Northumberland alongside the North East Combined Authority (NECA) and a wide range of national, regional and local charities and agencies.
Newcastle City Council is the accountable body and hosts the dedicated Forest Team who are responsible for the overall management of the Forest, coordinating delivery, funding, staffing and overseeing the delivery of the Forest Plan.
The Forest Team’s role includes working with volunteers and landowners to plant trees, create new woodlands and establish hedgerows to make our region more resilient to climate change.
The Forest Team aims to inspire a passion for woodlands, trees and hedgerows by engaging and educating the people of North East England, giving them ownership. Each local authority plays an active role in managing and delivering projects across their areas, supporting delivery of the Forest Plan.
The Forest Partnership is committed to community involvement, providing opportunities for people to get directly involved, whether that’s planting trees, managing woodlands or improving local green spaces, ensuring everyone can contribute to achieving the vision.
Successful implementation of the Forest Plan requires collaboration between the local and national stakeholders. Local stakeholders, who are directly impacted by the plan’s success, should have significant influence over its delivery. Meanwhile, national stakeholders, though less directly affected, can provide valuable expertise, policy alignment and resources to support its implementation.