This September, myForest will move to a new, tiered account structure. The change will help ensure that myForest can continue supporting woodland owners and managers for many years to come, while strengthening Sylva Foundation’s charitable work to encourage sustainable forest management at scale across the UK.
Sixteen years of innovation and support for people caring for woodlands
myForest began in 2010 with a simple but ambitious idea: that an online platform could help people manage woodlands more confidently and effectively. At the time, cloud-based technology was still in its early days (Instagram also launched that year!), particularly in a sector with deep roots in traditional practice. Sylva saw its potential to make good woodland management more accessible.
Since then, myForest has grown to support many thousands of woodland owners, managers and forestry professionals. Together, users have mapped more than 200,000 hectares of woodland, representing around 8.5% of woodland area in private ownership.
That reach matters. As a charity, Sylva Foundation exists to help woodlands thrive for people and nature. myForest is one of the principal ways we put that purpose into practice: giving people practical tools, reliable information and useful resources so that sustainable forest management can happen at a meaningful scale right across the UK.
We also work closely with regulatory authorities so that the documents and information generated through myForest can make woodland planning and management more straightforward. Our goal is to help owners and managers spend less time wrestling with administration and more time making informed decisions for resilient, well-managed woodlands.
The myForest homepage in 2010 and 2026
Why the account structure is changing
In 2019, we introduced myForest’s first paid plans. These gave subscribers additional functionality, including access to Ordnance Survey mapping, and helped put myForest on a more sustainable financial footing. We have kept both our prices and account structure unchanged for the past seven years while continuing to develop and grow the platform.
We now need to take the next step. In late September (exact date to be confirmed), the existing Owner and Agent accounts will be replaced by three clearer tiers, called Packages. This tiered structure will make it easier for users to choose the right level of support for their needs.
For Sylva, this is about much more than changing account names. As a charity, we must build a dependable future for myForest so that it can keep serving the woodland community. Income from paid subscriptions supports the platform’s continued development and helps Sylva extend the reach and impact of sustainable forest management across the country.
The new myForest packages
- Basic (free): For owners and managers with a single property who are at the beginning of their woodland management journey. This is the nearest equivalent to the current free Owner account. Keeping a free entry-level package is an important part of our charitable commitment to making sustainable woodland management accessible across the UK. Basic users will not be able to initiate property sharing.
- Advanced (£75 per year): For people who own or manage one property and need more advanced functionality, including property sharing. This is equivalent to the current paid Owner account, with no reduction in current functionality.
- Professional (£200 per year): For professionals and others who own or manage multiple properties. This is equivalent to the current paid Agent account and includes three actively managed properties, plus unlimited free inactive properties. Additional active property slots can be purchased for £40 per slot, per year. Each year at renewal you decide how many active slots you need and which properties to assign to them. Any other properties become inactive, and can be reactivated when you need them. This keeps all your historic data safe without charge until you need it.
Each package gives users a clear route into myForest, from taking the first steps in woodland management to overseeing multiple properties professionally. Future improvements will be shaped around the needs of each group.
Thank you for growing myForest with us
We are proud that myForest has always offered exceptional value to its users. Its continued development has been made possible by the people who use and support it, including many who have been with us since the early days.
To thank our existing users, we are offering transitional arrangements and upgrade discounts as accounts move to the new structure. We will soon share full details, including the confirmed launch date and what the change means for each existing account type.
We have exciting plans in place to improve myForest with lots of new features in the pipeline. This next chapter will help keep myForest useful, trusted and sustainable, enabling Sylva Foundation to support more people in caring for woodlands and to advance sustainable forest management across the UK for many years to come.
If you have any questions about these changes, please contact Head of Forestry Andrew Clark at myforest@sylva.org.uk
