The UK’s forestry industry is at a crossroads. The Government aims to raise woodland cover from 14.5% to 16.5% by 2050 for climate change mitigation, but the industry faces a skills crisis due to an aging workforce and a lack of new talent. Reports indicate hundreds of new skilled workers are needed annually to maintain employment levels and meet planting targets. Through its well-known Forestry Roots traineeship programme, the Royal Forestry Society (RFS) has announced the successful placement of eight young people who will begin their forestry careers in this difficult setting. The announcement follows a record-breaking spike in demand for the RFS, which received 270 applications for the 2025–2026 cohort—a notable 40% rise over the numbers from the prior year.
Now in its eighth year, the RFS’s Forestry Roots has established itself as a vital and highly effective pipeline for bringing fresh talent into the UK forestry and arboriculture sectors. The programme is designed to remove barriers to entry by pairing young people aged 18-30 with respected employers across England and Wales for a year of paid work experience, comprehensive training, and mentorship.
The success of the model is clear: since its inception in 2018, an impressive 93% of Forestry Roots trainees have successfully progressed into full-time roles within forestry or arboriculture, or pursued further vocational training. This high retention rate is crucial for an industry struggling to fill technical and management positions required for modern, sustainable forest management.
The programme’s funding is a collaborative effort, supported by The ALA Green Charitable Trust, the trainees’ employers (often RFS members), and the Forestry Commission, demonstrating a unified industry approach to addressing the skills gap.
The latest cohort of trainees is stepping into diverse and essential roles across the country, highlighting the varied career pathways available in the modern forestry sector.
One such candidate is Leah Winstanley, who joins the prestigious Harewood Estate as an Estate Forestry Assistant. Leah’s particular interest lies in the carbon sequestration potential of woodlands, and she is enthusiastic about gaining hands-on experience within the estate’s sprawling 800 acres of ancient forests.
“I applied to Forestry Roots as they offer support to those who have faced barriers trying to gain employment within the sector,” Leah explained. Her insight underlines a key strength of the RFS initiative: making the profession more accessible to individuals who may lack the financial means for expensive training courses or the time to volunteer before securing employment.
Other trainees are placed in roles spanning traditional and emerging areas of forestry:
- Samuel Birch and Jack Priestly join the conservation and commercial teams at Chatsworth House as Trainee Forestry Workers.
- Joe Cole begins his journey as a Forestry Trainee at Hill Holt Wood.
- Jesse Atkinson takes up a traineeship at Maydencroft.
- Gethin Thomas joins Bodnant Estate as a Trainee Estate Forester.
- Lois Raines embraces the role of Trainee Assistant Woodland Manager and Sawyer at The Hillyfield, learning key silviculture and timber processing skills.
- Tom Bryant takes on the role of Trainee Urban Forester with the City of Trees organisation.
Tom Bryant, based in Greater Manchester, reflects the growing importance of trees in metropolitan environments. “Having lived in Sheffield for university and now living in Greater Manchester, I realised just how much of a difference trees make to urban centres,” he noted. “This traineeship is the perfect opportunity to turn that passion into something practical. The best part is knowing I’ll be helping the environment close to home and hopefully making the world just that little bit better.”
The skills crisis presents a tangible threat to the UK’s legally binding climate and biodiversity commitments. Without a sufficient number of trained professionals, the ambitious targets for new woodland creation—which require expertise in planning, planting, and long-term sustainable management—cannot be met. Poorly managed or inappropriately planted woodlands, driven by a shortage of skilled foresters, are more susceptible to the increasing threats from pests, diseases, and climate change impacts like drought and flooding.
Programmes like Forestry Roots are therefore not just about job creation; they are a critical national investment in ecological and economic resilience. By nurturing the next generation of foresters, the RFS and its partners are directly contributing to the nation’s capacity to manage its existing 3.28 million hectares of woodland sustainably and to expand its natural capital for future generations. The trainees are learning to deliver multi-functional forestry that balances timber security, biodiversity enhancement, and carbon storage.
The record number of applications received by the RFS confirms that while barriers to entry exist, there is a strong and growing desire among young people to pursue careers that directly address the climate emergency and contribute to nature recovery. The collective mission now is to scale up these proven pathways to ensure that the UK’s vision for a greener, more wooded future can be realized.
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