Funding and Resources

Government targets for tree planting, woodland creation and nature recovery have led to a growing range of funding opportunities in recent years.

Since 2020, the Trees for Climate programme, funded by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), has played a central role in financing large-scale tree planting across the England Community Forests network. Over the past five years, this programme has been the primary source of capital and revenue funding for the North East Community Forest.

In addition to this core funding, the Forest Team has successfully secured complimentary funding from our six local authority partners, alongside successful grant applications to organisations including the Forestry Commission, Defra, Tree Council, Trees for Cities, Carma and One Tree Planted. This has been further enhanced by unrestricted donations from businesses and local residents.

This funding has enabled the establishment of trees, hedgerows and woodlands, the development of a dedicated Forest Team and the delivery of specialist expertise, project management and partnership coordination across the region.

To implement the Forest Plan, the Forest Team will continue to:

• Identify and secure additional funding from public, private and charitable sources.
• Diversify funding streams, with a growing proportion expected from non-public sector investment (e.g. green finance, biodiversity net gain and carbon markets).
• Direct resources effectively, ensuring that community groups, landowners and stakeholders have access to information, practical support and funding opportunities.
• Provide advice and guidance on funding applications and best practices for establishing and maintaining trees, woodlands and hedgerows.

A growing proportion of future funding is expected to come from non-public sector sources, helping to diversify investment and strengthen long-term delivery.