New National Forest - North and Midlands

The government is creating England's third new national forest in the North and Midlands. They want organisations to submit an Expression of Interest to help deliver this project. The funding available is between £1 million and £7.5 million. This forest will bring economic, environmental, and social benefits to the region. The deadline for expressions of interest is 21 May 2026. You must be an organisation outside of central government to apply. This is a major transformative project for the North East and North West of England.

This is for organisations outside of central government or its arm's length bodies who can help deliver a new national forest. You need to be able to work in the North East or North West England regions. Government departments and their agencies cannot apply.

The North and Midlands are set to benefit from being the location of England’s third new national forest. This forest will be transformative, providing significant economic, environmental, and social benefits. Defra is now inviting organisations outside of central government or its ALBs to submit an Expression of Interest to enable us to assess the options for delivery in the region.

You need to submit an Expression of Interest to Defra. This will help them assess delivery options for the new national forest project. Specific application details are not provided in the current information.