New Recruits Funded by Trees For Climate

The Mersey Forest is currently one of twelve Community Forests across England delivering the ambitious target to plant more than 900 hectares of woodland by March 2025.
 
The Trees for Climate programme launched in December 2020, with £12.1million of funding for the first year of a five-year programme, through the Government's Nature for Climate Fund. A further £20.4 million of funding for year two was announced in March this year
 
As well as helping the UK's efforts to reach net zero, theTrees for Climate funds will be used to reduce flood risk, increase sustainable UK-grown timber, provide more places for nature and biodiversity to thrive, and increase people's access to and enjoyment of woodland. A portion of the funding is aimed at creating new jobs within the forestry and environmental sector, and over the past year, Mersey Forest team members have been recruited.

Tim Oliver co-ordinates the Trees for Climate programme within The Mersey Forest; Sophie Bray and Will Marshall are woodland advisors. They are joined by Will Fitzpatrick who has become a Community Forester.
 
In his new job Tim, who has worked extensively in forestry across the UK, is responsible for delivering the local Trees for Climate programme across The Mersey Forest and leading the woodland advisory team.  He joins from the Forestry Commission. Tim says:

"It is so rewarding to help establish new woodland bringing so many benefits to local communities. This type of activity - that has been given a boost through its priority status for the government - is helping to meet legal obligations relating to climate change and achieving carbon net zero."
 
Sophie Bray, from Chester,  will primarily be liaising with landowners. Her role as woodland advisor will see her inputting into woodland design and planning, and delivering project management to get new schemes off the ground. Previously a ranger for the National Trust, Sophie says the best part of the job is still getting out and meeting people.

Performing a similar role, Will Marshall comes from a woodland consultancy background, having already worked in the Midlands and East Anglia.  He explains why the job is so rewarding:
 
"Helping landowners develop schemes means I get to help them transform their vision into real woodland."

Will Fitzpatrick is our new Community Forester supporting schools to help their pupils plant trees and connect with nature. Will, who joined in January, says:

"It's great to see how the pupils can make a positive difference to their local environment and for their own and others' futures."

In the first year of delivering the Trees for Climate programme, the Mersey Forest Partnership has established over 18 hectares of new woodland within west Cheshire. That is the equivalent of nearly six times the size of Albert Dock.
 
Trees have been planted in urban parks, green spaces and on private farmland. Where Covid restrictions allied, communities have been turning out in force to help get new woodlands planted.
 
Plans are in place for tree planting into Autumn 2021. If you own or manage land in Merseyside or Cheshire, contact us for independent advice about grants available for establishing new woodland.