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A new forestry skills and training fund has been set up by the Welsh Government, with £280,000 being invested.

The aim of the Forestry and Timber Skills fund, which opened on Friday November 1, is to grow the workforce and help the industry grow.

The Welsh Government highlighted an aging workforce in the industry, which has led to concerns of a shortage of forestry workers across the UK over the coming years.

The fund is part of the Welsh Government’s Flexible Skills Programme, and will go towards helping businesses address skills gaps within their workforce by subsidising places on accredited forestry and timber supply chain courses.

Up to £20,000 is being made available per organisation.

Jack Sargeant, the Welsh Government’s minister for skills, said: “Foresters, arborists and those who process and work with timber are the original green jobs. But we need more of them.

“We are expecting demand for timber globally to quadruple by 2050. It’s vital that we expand our skilled forestry sector both to meet that demand and to achieve net zero targets.

“The fund will also support skills development to increase use of timber in construction which, in contrast to forestry, is a relatively new sector where formal skills and training have not been previously available.”