about Sylva Foundation

Sylva Foundation is an environmental charity registered in England and Wales (No.1128516) and in Scotland (No.SC041892).

We aim to help Britain's trees and woodlands thrive for people and for nature and believe that a dynamic relationship between people and the natural environment is critically important for a sustainable future. We do this by demonstrating how woodlands are relevant to modern society as well as helping ensure they are resilient to environmental change.

We were founded in 2009 in Oxfordshire by Chartered Foresters passionate about the environment and the role of woodland in society, and we now work across the UK. We work to influence, educate and support people who work with trees and who care for them now and in the future. For example:

• We provide up-to-date information and online tools to support owners of the 72% of woodland in private hands - helping them manage their woodlands more sustainably for the benefit of everyone.
• We help children and young people understand the importance of trees and woodlands for sustainable living and how to manage them well. We provide online tools to support teachers and other educators who use woodlands for learning.
• We underpin our work with robust science — much of which we commission or co-ordinate ourselves — and apply that intelligence to influence policy and practice in Britain's forests.
• And, through the Sylva Wood Centre in Oxfordshire, we offer people who design and work in wood the space, facilities and additional training they need to innovate, create and establish businesses. Pioneering initiatives like this will, in time, help increase the economic as well as environmental value of wood and trees.

We believe we're unusual in the way we work – often blending science and art to challenge perceptions and change behaviours, and we are well-respected for working collaboratively with more than forty other organisations in the sector.

Read more about why sustainable woodland management matters, our roots and our people.

the charity

The Sylva Foundation is a charity registered in England and Wales 1128516 and in Scotland SC041892

We organise our work according to four programmes that relate directly to our charitable objects and which ensure the delivery of public benefits, namely: Science (1), Education (2), Forestry (3) and Wood (4).

Our charitable objects are to promote the conservation of the environment for the public benefit consistent with sustainable development principles by:

1. promoting and conducting research for the public benefit about effective sustainable forest management and the dissemination of the useful results of such research;
2. advancing education for the public benefit in the theory and practice of sustainable forest management;
3. supporting the development and application of sustainable forest management for the public benefit;
4. advancing education and business enterprise in the design and production of home-grown wood products for the public benefit.