Our vision
The Heart of England Forest is an exciting and ambitious charity. We are helping to reverse centuries of woodland decline by creating and conserving a huge broadleaf forest for the benefit of the environment, wildlife and people. A place of enduring natural beauty, protected and secured for generations to come.
Our work creating biodiverse habitats that support not just wildlife, but human life, will give us all the best chance of adapting to our changing climate.
The story so far
Based in the heart of the Midlands, near Stratford-upon-Avon, the Forest stretches across the Warwickshire and Worcestershire borders.
Our mission is to create and conserve a thriving broadleaf Forest of 30,000 acres (half the size of Birmingham).
The Forest currently covers a mosaic of habitats across 8,000 acres of land in Warwickshire and Worcestershire, including 4,800 acres of new woodland and over 600 acres of mature and ancient woodland.
The significance and scale of our work cannot be underestimated: the Heart of England Forest will be one of the largest native forests in the country.
We are here for life. Establishing and growing the Forest on land that we have purchased will ensure it is safe and protected for hundreds of years to come.
As the Forest grows, so too will the benefits to both our health and that of the natural world.
So far, we have planted more than 2.2 million trees. Tree planting on this scale makes a significant positive environmental impact, creating a huge carbon sink and helping to mitigate climate change. Further environmental and social impacts of planting include water purification and flood alleviation.
Important as they are, the Forest is more than just trees; it is home to an incredible array of habitats, including new tree planting, mature and ancient woodland, grassland, heathland, farmland, and wetland, that enable animals, plants, and people to thrive.
