About
Derbyshire’s Heartwood Community Forest
Heartwood is Derbyshire’s Community Forest and part of England’s Community Forests, a national network with roots going back over 30 years and now the biggest environmental regeneration initiative in the country.
Our vision
A thriving network of trees, woodlands and hedgerows in Derbyshire, delivering a lasting legacy of benefits for our communities, environment and economy.
Our mission
To work with local landowners, land managers and communities to create woodlands that allow nature to thrive and bring people together to plan, plant, look after and enjoy.
Why Derbyshire?
Tree canopy cover in the Heartwood area is currently below the national average at just 12.5%. Many communities have fewer accessible local woodlands than they should and some areas still carry the landscape scars of historical industry and mineral extraction.
Our target is to increase canopy cover to 16.5% by 2050, in line with the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan. We’re focusing our efforts on areas where new trees will have the greatest benefit for people, nature and the local economy.
Our goal is to make sure that trees and woodlands are at the heart of their communities.
Covering approximately 750km² across eastern and southern Derbyshire, Heartwood connects with the National Forest to the south, Nottinghamshire’s Greenwood Community Forest to the east, and the Peak District National Park to the north west.
Be part of something bigger
Through the Midlands Forest Network, we’re helping to join up a connected corridor of woodland stretching across the heart of England.
Read our Forest Plan
Find out more about our vision for Derbyshire’s Heartwood Community Forest, including our strategic aims, key policies and plans for delivery over the next 25 years.