What we do

Trees and woods filter our air, cool our cities, purify our water and enrich our soil. Yet the damage done to them has now reached catastrophic levels, and our plant and animal species are declining at an alarming rate.

We are the country’s largest woodland conservation charity with over 500,000 members and supporters and more than 1,000 sites, covering over 26,000 hectares, all over the UK.

We're standing up for woods and trees. We protect and campaign, plant trees, and restore ancient woodland for the benefit of wildlife and people.

To realise our vision we need to rekindle people’s love for woods and trees and show them the benefits trees can bring to our lives and communities.

Find out all about our strategy for the future, 'Join us on the journey to 2025' (PDF, 1.4MB)

Why trees need us

Just 13% of the UK is covered with trees. That’s low compared to the average European country that has 37%.

Since the 1930s, more than half the UK's ancient woodland we had has been destroyed. This rich, complex habitat dates back to medieval times and once swept in vast swathes across our countryside; today it covers just 2% of the UK. And we stand to lose even more as airports, roads and railways expand, houses are built and diseases attack.

The effects are devastating: 60% of our animal and plant species have declined in the past 50 years. Many are now endangered; some face extinction.

Over the years, we’ve identified woods under threat and fought to save them, campaigning alongside local communities or raising funds to buy them ourselves. We’ve also acquired land ripe with potential and created beautiful new woodland close to people’s homes.

We now own more than 1,000 wildlife-rich native woods across the UK. Many are ancient woods and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

All are open and free to enjoy.