Over the last four years, the Centre for Forest Protection (CFP) has funded vital interdisciplinary research on tree health, sparked new ideas and collaborations and helped to nurture the next generation of forest scientists.

In May 2022, the CFP was established as a Defra-funded research collaboration between Forest Research and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. This exciting partnership was set up with a mission to boost the resilience of the UK’s forests, woodlands, and trees through the provision of world-class evidence, interdisciplinary research, expert advice, and high-quality training.

Between 2022 and 2025, Defra invested more than £5 million to support a diverse range of research projects throughout Phase 1 of the CFP, including four PhDs and 17 internships. Projects focused on novel approaches to tree health and strongly encouraged international collaboration.

The funding also enabled the development of a new MSc Forest Protection module delivered in partnership with Bangor University, alongside a growing suite of professional and technical training modules.

In 2025, Defra awarded a further £4 million of funding to launch Phase 2 of the CFP, supporting 17 new research projects focused on the planting and protection of treescapes that are more resilient to stressors such as climate change and pests and diseases like ash dieback. This phase has also included two additional PhDs and 8 further internships to date.

We are delighted to share that, in March 2026, Defra confirmed an additional £8 million of funding for the remaining two years of the CFP’s Phase 2 programme, cementing a strong foundation for continued innovation, collaboration and impact in forest protection.

Professor Nicola Spence, Chief Plant Health Officer at Defra said:

“Forests, woodlands and trees provide a vast range of environmental, social and economic benefits, but the threats they face—particularly from climate change, pests and diseases—are real and growing. In its first four years, the Centre for Forest Protection has already delivered innovative science to strengthen the resilience of our treescapes, while supporting the next generation of forestry researchers and professionals. Continued investment in Phase 2 will ensure this vital work can build on its strong foundations and deliver even greater impact in the years ahead.”

Our key achievements 

Since its inception, the CFP has published a wide variety of important research on tree health, pests and diseases. Here are just a few:

• The State of Forest Genetic Resources in the UK (Published: Jun 24)
• Rapid polygenic adaptation in a wild population of ash trees under a novel fungal epidemic (Published: Jan 25)
• Genetic Consequences of Tree Planting Versus Natural Colonisation: Implications for Afforestation Programmes in the United Kingdom (Published: Aug 25)
• Social and cultural considerations for the restoration of ‘lost’ tree species: The fall and rise of elm (Published: Dec 25)
• Understanding Why Grey Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) Bark Strip in British Woodlands: A Systematic Map (Published: Mar 26)

Several of our research projects have also held stakeholder workshops which you can read more about here: News – Centre for Forest Protection.

Aside from research publications, since 2022 the CFP has:

Previous CFP intern cohorts.

Introduced an internship programme which aims to nurture the next generation of forest scientists by enabling interns to work on a research project with CFP research teams. As of May 2026, 25 interns have successfully completed the programme. Read more about our latest intern cohort.

MSc Forest Protection module – field trip to Dyfi Forest, Wales, February 2025.

Developed a key partnership with Bangor University to deliver an MSc module in Forest Protection which has been successfully delivered to 40 students over the past two academic years.

Created two freely available professional and technical training modules on the theme of ‘Resilience fundamentals, tree health and non-native pests and pathogens’ with over 200 enrolments as of May 2026. A third module on the role of genetics in tree health and forest resilience is due to be published soon.

Held a webinar series to showcase the results from some of our Phase 1 research projects.

Britain’s Forest Future Research Practice Exchange conference, in Durham, November 2025.

Co-organised ‘Britain’s Forest Future: Research-Practice Exchange’ alongside Defra and the Future of UK Treescapes which brought together practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and professional bodies from across the forestry, tree, and plant health sectors, and published several of the talks given by CFP researchers.

CFP researchers hearing project updates at the CFP biannual meeting in April 2026 at Kew Gardens.

Held biannual meetings with the CFP core team, project leads, Board Members, and Defra leads. In 2025-26, the first was online and the second was held in-person at Kew Gardens on 23 April, which you can read more about here.

Dr Paul Kersey, Director of Science – Research at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, and CFP Board member said:

“Threats to our forests have never been greater, and the need to draw on science from multiple institutions is a critical one. I’ve been delighted to be part of the development of the CFP and to see the growth in collaborative science it has fostered. Almost all the work it is funding involves multiple partners who could not deliver it in isolation.”

Dr Gerard Clover, Head of Tree Health at Forest Research and CFP Board member said:

“The Centre for Forest Protection is harnessing the expertise across Forest Research, Kew and the broader sector to counter threats to our forests, woodlands and trees by delivering innovative research and training the next generation of foresters.”

Looking forward

There is plenty more to look forward to from the CFP, with a wave of exciting developments on the horizon, including:

• New Phase 1 research outputs, such as peer‑reviewed journal articles, policy and practice notes, and openly available datasets.
• Further insights and updates from our Phase 2 research projects.
• The launch of a new professional and technical training module, exploring the vital role of genetics in tree health and forest resilience.
• A new webinar series spotlighting research from some of our PhD students.
• Recruitment of our fifth cohort of interns, continuing our commitment to developing future forest and tree health specialists.

Alongside these activities, we will soon begin conversations about the future of the CFP beyond 2028. Building on the strong foundations and successes achieved so far, we are excited about the opportunity to continue growing the Centre’s impact, partnerships and ambitions for the years ahead.

Stay connected!

Keep an eye on our website, follow us on social media (LinkedIn & Bluesky) and subscribe to our newsletter to be kept up to date on the latest CFP research, news and events!

Find out more about National Plant Health Week 2026.