Grants of up to £100,000 available for community groups, schools, and organisations.
JERA Nex bp and Future Woodland Scotland are pleased to mark the second year of the Urban Forestry Programme, which offers grants of up to £100,000 to projects across Scotland that create, enhance, and expand urban woodlands.
Following the formation of JERA Nex bp in August 2025, the company assumed bp’s role in supporting Future Woodlands Scotland in its delivery of the Urban Forestry Programme, continuing bp’s 2023 pledge of providing up to £10 million over the next ten years – support originally made as part of its stake in the ScotWind Morven project.
A wide range of urban projects are invited to apply to the programme’s second year. Funded projects are intended to support the aim of delivering the 3:30:300 rule – for everyone to be able to see three trees from their home, live within 300 metres of a green space, and enjoy at least 30% tree canopy cover in their neighbourhood.
This builds on a successful first year in which the Urban Forestry Programme funded £620,000 across 12 projects to help communities in their efforts to transform underused spaces into thriving green areas, with the aim of contributing to biodiversity, education, community engagement, and local job creation.
Highlights from 2025 projects include:
- A dispersed orchard in Govanhill co-created by residents, artists, and growers.
- A primary school in East Renfrewshire transforming its grounds with tree planting to improve learning environments and increase canopy cover.
- Tree planting in high-priority areas of South Lanarkshire, with some projects collaborating with local initiatives such as the Clyde Climate Forest to maximise environmental benefits.
Shireen Chambers, CEO of Future Woodlands Scotland, said:
“Urban trees and woodlands are vital to the health and wellbeing of our communities. They clean our air, cool our streets, and create spaces where people can connect with nature and each other. We’re excited to launch the second year of the Urban Forestry Programme and invite groups across Scotland to bring forward bold ideas that will help make our towns and cities greener, fairer, and more resilient.” We’re especially keen to receive applications from areas with low tree canopy cover, where funding can help create green spaces and extend the benefits of trees to communities that currently have limited access to them.”
JERA Nex bp’s, Thomas Hudson, Project Director, added:
“Following the success of last year’s programme, we’re proud to launch the second year of funding for the Urban Forestry Programme. This initiative allows us to work alongside communities across Scotland to create greener, healthier urban spaces. Seeing the positive impact from the first year – hundreds of volunteers engaged, thousands of trees planted – demonstrates the difference this programme can make, and we’re excited to build on that success.”
In 2026, Future Woodlands Scotland, with JERA Nex bp’s support, will continue to work on making Scotland’s towns and cities greener, healthier, and more accessible for everyone.
Applications for grants of £2,000 – £100,000 are open now and close on 23 January 2026. More information, including eligibility criteria and application guidelines, is available at https://futurewoodlands.org.uk/urban-forestry/.
See Future Woodlands Scotland’s website for more information.
History of the partnership
bp has a long-standing relationship with Future Woodlands Scotland, built on more than 20 years of support for woodland restoration in Scotland. Their involvement began with the pioneering Scottish Forest Alliance, which restored over 5,000 hectares of native woodland and led to the establishment of Future Woodlands Scotland.
In 2023 bp signed a contract with Future Woodlands Scotland to commit up to £10 million to the Urban Forestry Programme as part of its planned Scottish offshore windfarm project, Morven, jointly developed with EnBW.
In August 2025, bp and JERA Co. formed a 50:50 joint venture, JERA Nex bp, a purpose-built offshore wind company dedicated to unlocking the potential of offshore wind through the development of high-quality, competitive projects. With over fifteen years of experience operating offshore wind assets, JERA Nex bp serves as an end-to-end developer, owner, and operator. As part of this transition, JERA Nex bp assumed bp’s role in the partnership with Future Woodlands Scotland, including taking on bp’s pledge of up to £10 million to the Urban Forestry Programme.
Headquartered in London, with offices across Europe, Asia, and Australasia, JERA Nex bp has a portfolio of operational and development projects across nine countries and draws on a rich heritage of pioneering offshore wind in Asia Pacific and the North Sea. JERA Nex bp is proud to continue partnering with Future Woodlands Scotland to deliver the second year of the Urban Forestry Programme.
