Space4trees is the East Midland’s first regional forestry framework.

Its purpose is to set out an approach to the issues and opportunities facing our trees and woodlands that reflects national policies and objectives but that focuses on regional needs and aspirations.

Space4trees supports the vision for sustainable development, set out in the Integrated Regional Strategy, by highlighting the growing contribution that trees and woodlands make to the health of our environment, the vitality of our economy and the quality of life of the people who live and work in our region.

The strategic framework provided by Space4trees includes aims, objectives and guiding principles in four priority areas:

- Trees and people
- Trees and the environment
- Trees and the economy
- Communication and collaboration

The following pages provide a backdrop to the framework, describing the region in terms of its woodland resource and setting Space4trees in its policy context, particularly at the regional and local levels.

The section on Making Space4trees describes the Vision and the Challenge that we have set ourselves and then sets out the Aims, Guiding Principles and Objectives under each of these four priority themes.

Space4trees also includes an initial Action Plan, designed to address immediate priorities and to begin the practical engagement of partners and stakeholders in delivering change.

We have also developed a number of case studies, highlighting some of the excellent examples of good practice that are to be found in the East Midlands. We hope that these will help to inspire and inform and that others can be added in order to build up a valuable information base for the region.