National Forest Company
Moira, Leicestershire, United Kingdom · Government program · Regional · since 1995
Defra-backed charity creating the 200-square-mile National Forest across the English Midlands
About
The National Forest Company (NFC) was established in April 1995 to oversee creation of the National Forest, a 200-square-mile landscape spanning Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire that was once dominated by coalfields and clay pits. It funds woodland creation through grants to farmers and landowners, acquires and manages its own sites, secures planting through the planning process and runs public Plant a Tree days each winter. By 2025-26 forest cover had risen to 26.1% of the area and the ten-millionth tree had been planted; the long-term aspiration is 33% cover. The NFC is a company limited by guarantee and registered charity funded mainly by Defra grant in aid and the Nature for Climate Fund, and it is now also helping to scope new national forests for England.
What they run
Grant schemes for farmers, landowners and partners plus NFC land acquisitions (e.g. Darley Oaks, 2025-26) that create new woodland and habitat inside the National Forest boundary.
Ticketed public planting mornings at Brookvale Wood, Groby, running November to March, where visitors plant a native broadleaf sapling.
Grants, advice and the Habitat Enhancement Grant that bring existing woodlands and non-woodland priority habitats into active management.
The numbers
| Metric | Year | Value | Program | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds raised (USD) | 2026 | 14,995,900 | Organization-wide | Estimated | sourceTotal income for year ended 31 March 2026 was GBP 11,212,714 (GBP 11.21m), of which GBP 2.66m Defra grant in aid and GBP 4.11m Nature for Climate Fund. Converted at 1 GBP = 1.3374 USD (open.er-api.com, 7 Nov 2026). |
| Hectares restored | 2026 | 172 | Organization-wide | Self-reported | source2025-26 ARA: '172 hectares (ha) of new Forest creation ... (2024-25: 149 ha)'. New forest habitat created in the year. |
| Trees planted | 2025 | 150,000 | Organization-wide | Self-reported | sourceComparative figure for 2024-25 quoted in the 2025-26 Annual Report and Accounts: '(2024-25: 150,000)'. |
| Trees planted | 2026 | 81,040 | Organization-wide | Self-reported | sourceAnnual Report and Accounts 2025-26 (year to 31 March 2026), Trustees' Report: 'This year saw 81,040 trees planted (2024-25: 150,000)'; headline targets table: target 150,000, achieved 81,040. |
| Trees plantedto date | 2026 | 10,000,000 | Organization-wide | Self-reported | sourceChair's letter and Trustees' Report 2025-26: 'Reaching the milestone of ten million trees' / 'helping to achieve the overall milestone of 10 million trees'. Homepage (Nov 2026) says '9.5 million trees planted so far'; the report figure is used because it is dated. |
How they report
What earned it
- 10/20 Publishes annual tree figures: 2 years of annual figures on record (5 points each, up to 4 years)
- 15/15 Figures are recent: Latest annual figure is for 2026
- 10/10 Every figure has a public source: 5 of 5 figures link to a source
- 15/15 Publishes financials or cost per tree: Revenue or cost-per-tree figure on record
- 0/15 Reports survival or monitoring: No survival or monitoring figure
- 0/10 Independently verified figure: All figures are the organization's own
- 4/10 Breaks figures down by program: Programs named, figures not broken out
- 5/5 Reports volunteers or events: Public events listed
- Latest annual figure
- 81,040 trees in 2026 (-46% on the year before)
- Dollars raised per tree
- $185 in 2026
- Compare
- Put National Forest Company next to others · method
Upcoming events
- Plant a Tree Saturday 14 November 2026 & Saturday 27 February 2027RegisterSat, Nov 14, 2026, 10:30 AM GMT · Volunteer planting · Leicester
- Plant a Tree - Brookvale WoodRegisterSat, Nov 14, 2026, 10:30 AM GMT · Volunteer planting · Groby
- Plant a Tree - Brookvale WoodRegisterSat, Feb 27, 2027, 10:30 AM GMT · Volunteer planting · Groby