News

Forestry England experts at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum have today announced a new project to help safeguard the ancient Silk Wood (which makes up around two-thirds of the Arboretum) from pests and diseases, most notably chalara ash dieback. Forestry England will be removing trees infected with chalara ash dieback, to make way for a wide variety of tree species that are more resilient to pests and diseases. 

For the very first time in history, Forestry England has confirmed that an alien has crash landed into one of the nation’s forests. Lu-La, from the Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, in UK cinemas 18 October, is an impish and adorable alien with amazing powers. She has been stranded in the forest and needs to charge her communicator so that she can get a message back home to call for rescue!

A new art film and installation revealing hidden stories from the working forest. This autumn will see Northumberland’s Kielder Water and Forest Park welcome The Custody Code, a new art film and installation produced by Amanda Loomes and developed as part of the Forestry Commission’s centenary celebrations. Available to view from 18 September to 1 December 2019, the film reveals the hidden industry within the working forest, telling the individual, intimate and often surprising stories of the men and women who call the forest their office.

Amid the climate crisis, increasing demands for timber and wildlife on the brink, forests and trees have never been so important for people and nature.

Published to mark the centenary of the Commission, British Forests examines not only its unique history but also the Commission's role in research, and the promotion of tree planting in both cities and countryside.

The first white-tailed eagles to be reintroduced to England have been released on the Isle of Wight.

Forestry England is now a DfE approved apprenticeship employer-provider, delivering the Level 2 Forest Operative Apprenticeship to prepare its own apprentices for a career in forestry. The move is helping the organisation develop its workforce by providing essential skills within an environment that promotes and prioritises excellent health and safety standards.

Six forests of the UK feature on new Royal Mail special stamps to celebrate Forestry Commission centenary

Forestry England, the country’s largest land manager and the arm of the Forestry Commission that manages the nation’s forests, has a new chief executive. Mike Seddon has almost 30 years of experience in forestry and forestry policy and begins his new role today, 1 August 2019.

Paul Weller has completed a summer run of Forest Live dates with a performance in Cannock Chase Forest, Staffs. Forest Live is an annual concert series promoted by the Forestry England where an eclectic mix of artists perform in spectacular woodland locations across the country. Money raised from ticket sales helps to look after the nation’s forests sustainably, for people to enjoy and wildlife to thrive. Paul has been a real ambassador for the series, making his Forest Live debut at five venues in 2004 and subsequently returning three times to each of the seven forests that have since formed part of the tour. In recognition of generating over 145000 tickets sales to see Paul perform over the years, Forestry England presented him with a commemorative inscription carved out of oak burr taken from Westonbirt Arboretum, one of the Forest Live venues.

Forestry England’s beavers in Cropton Forest have become parents, giving birth to two adorable kits. Video captured at the beaver site in Yorkshire shows the kits already swimming and settling into their new home with their mum. Beavers are born precocial, meaning they are a miniature version of adults, seeing well and moving independently from birth. Cath Bashforth, Ecologist, Yorkshire Forest District, Forestry England said: “We are all very happy to see the arrival of two healthy kits. With beaver being very social animals, the family unit will live together. “It is fascinating to watch them explore their surroundings and they are quickly learning from their parents. I’m really looking forward to watching them grow and bond as a family’

New surveys are underway in the South West of England to study Long Eared Owl populations. It's been a decade since the UK’s rarest breeding owl species were last studied in this area and their numbers are thought to have declined significantly in the past century. Now, Forestry England and the Hawk and Owl Trust are carrying out a major survey of the birds across Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall thanks to Forest Holidays' Conservation Fund.

The ‘Restoring Ratty’ conservation project to restore water voles to Kielder Water and Forest Park has won a prestigious award at the Chartered Institute of Ecology an Environmental Management (CIEEM)’s 2019 Awards. The project, which has reintroduced 1,205 water voles to the banks of Kielder’s watercourses, won the award for best practice in large-scale nature conservation.

It has been proven that spending time in the forest is good for our wellbeing, and what could be more joyous than spending time with your friends and family, sharing a picnic nestled amongst the nation’s forests magnificent trees?  To help you plan the perfect picnic this summer, here are Forestry England’s top 10 spots:

To celebrate National Bike Week, Forestry England has revealed their top 10 family woodland bike rides. Cycling is an excellent way to experience the outdoors and a fantastic activity that can be enjoyed by the whole family. Bridgette Hall, Forestry England’s Head of Recreation says:

Caught on camera having a good old scratch and chewing on their wooded surroundings recent footage from the trail cameras at the beaver site in Yorkshire shows that the beavers are settling in nicely to their new home.

The Resilience Garden has been awarded two prestigious awards at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019

The Resilience Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show has unveiled a sensational variety of plants and trees

In celebration of Earth Day 2019, Forestry England and the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) are calling on aspiring and professional photographers alike to submit their images of what a changing forest means to them. ‘Changing Forests’ is the brand new category in Earth Photo, the innovative competition and exhibition which enables a better understanding of the world around us through the complementary disciplines of the Environment and Geography. The aim of the new category is to reveal the stories the world’s forests have to tell today, while teasing out the image’s back story.

Forestry England has brought a pair of Eurasian beavers from Scotland to Cropton Forest in Yorkshire for a revolutionary trial in natural flood management. Spanning five years the trial will assess will the impact of the beavers’ activity on the long-term sustainability and maintenance of the “slowing the flow” artificial wooden dams. The dams have been helping to protect areas including nearby Pickering from flooding. This will be the first time in the United Kingdom that the effects beaver have on artificial dams has ever been studied.

The Forestry Commission is inviting people to join the largest ever survey of England’s forest wildlife

An environmental scheme to return New Forest streams and wetlands to their natural state has been chosen as one of the UK’s most important river restorations. Shortlisted as a finalist in the 2019 UK River Prize, the project has restored natural bends or meanders to over nine miles of streams in the New Forest National Park over the last nine years.

Project will see the birds return to the Isle of Wight after an absence of almost 240 years

The Forestry Commission has completed a £5 million project to create a host of new visitor attractions and facilities at Alice Holt Forest, near Farnham. The five year investment in the 2,000 acre public forest has seen the addition of a 120 seater café, a purpose built visitor centre, new outdoor activities plus a brand new activity centre opened to visitors today.