The UK Forestry Jobs Newsletter shares the best curated forestry jobs in the UK, from tree planting to director level.
You might have seen the headline this week: Britain imported 85 million trees and shrubs in 2025, worth £229 million. That's a lot of plants coming in from abroad, and it's prompted fresh calls for the government to back British nurseries.
But if you plant trees for a living, the picture is a bit different from what the headline suggests.
Are forestry trees are mostly grown here?
That 85 million figure lumps trees and shrubs together, and much of the reliance on imports is for larger, more mature trees for gardens, streets and landscaping.
Forestry is a different story. The government's latest Tree Supply Report surveyed the 18 biggest forest nurseries, which grow over 90% of the saplings used in UK woodland planting. Between them, they produced 139.2 million saplings for the 2025/26 season. Imports of forestry saplings were described as "marginal".
So the good news is that the trees going into our forests are overwhelmingly British-grown. The less good news is that production was down 14% on the year before.
Nurseries follow the money
The report links that drop to a fall in Scottish woodland creation funding, with nurseries cutting production because they expected less demand. Sitka spruce and Scots pine took the biggest hit. The number of broadleaf species being grown has also fallen, from 91 in 2023 to 78 this year.
And that's the problem. A tree sown today won't be planted for a year or two, so nurseries have to guess what demand will look like. When grants stop and start, they play it safe. Then when planting picks up again, there aren't enough of the right trees, and imports fill the gap – along with the pest and disease risks that come with them.
The Strong Roots partnership (Woodland Trust, National Trust, RHS and the Horticultural Trades Association) is asking governments to work out how many imported trees could be grown here and to put a proper production plan in place. Their earlier report suggested domestic tree production could grow by 45% and create nearly 10,000 new jobs - good news for everyone!
That's worth remembering if you're looking for a way into the sector. Nursery work, from seed collection and propagation to lifting, grading and dispatch, doesn't always get the attention it deserves. Every forest starts there.
Jack
P.S. A quick update on our 17 October issue about the future of Scottish Forestry. Eight organisations, including the Institute of Chartered Foresters, the Royal Scottish Forestry Society, Plantlife and the PCS union, have now signed an open letter asking ministers to keep Scottish Forestry out of the proposed environment super-agency.
🔦 Jobs Spotlight 🔦
In this section, we highlight standout opportunities each week, including selected sponsored listings.
What?: Log Procurement Manager
Who?: Tilhill Harvesting
Where?: South West Scotland
How Much?: £Competitive
What?: Landscape Recovery Farming & Forestry Officer
Where?: Hexham
How Much?: £35,570–£39,481 - temporary till 2027
What?: Forwarder and Harvester Operators
Who?: Harold Taylor Timber
Where?: Angus and North Scotland
How Much?: £Competitive
Forestry Fact Corner…
🌲 Sitka spruce is still king. Of the 139.2 million saplings grown by Britain's main forest nurseries this season, 59.5 million were Sitka – that's more than four in every ten trees.
Interested in featuring a sponsored job listing or promoting your product in this newsletter? Email us at [email protected].