I did a bit of Googling and found this History of the
UK Forest Commission.
It sounds as though the Commission started with re-planting the forests after WWI and WWII,
and then commercial use gradually turned towards public use
and giving more consideration to environmental issues.
I don't think the US has an equivalent.
We do have government agencies responsible for forests,
and re-planting the pubic lands does take place,
but until recently, it's been mainly as response to forest fires.