Securing the future of the Forest
The Heart of England Forest has an ambitious vision to create a 30,000 acre Forest across the heart of the country. With over 1.8 million trees already planted, we still have a long way to go to reach our target, and acquiring the land to continue to grow the Forest is vital if we are to succeed.
Acquiring land to secure the future of the Forest
We are creating a Forest to benefit people and wildlife for hundreds of years to come, so owning the land in order to give the Forest permanence is essential.
The Forest covers a mosaic of habitats across almost 7,000 acres of land, including 4,000 acres of new woodland and 600 acres of beautiful, mature and ancient woodland. Far from wall to wall trees, the Forest is made up of a mosaic of heathland, grassland, wetland, farmland and hedgerows, and it is this variety of habitats that enables wildlife to thrive.
With land acquired at sites in Ullenhall, Gorcott Hill and near Tanworth in Arden last year, along with our most recent acquisition of 310 acres of land in Binton, we are succeeding in building a three year land bank to secure the future of the Forest. This will enable us to continue to grow England’s largest new native broadleaf Forest in 2020 and beyond.
Working with the local community
We want to create new woodlands and green spaces that can help reconnect people and communities with nature and the natural environment, so the local community is at the heart of everything we do. We work hard to communicate with our neighbours about our plans and encourage input, create opportunities to work with each other and ensure the Forest has benefits for local people stretching beyond just the environmental, to social and economic, too.
Holding public consultations gives our neighbours the opportunity to meet members of our team and inform the plans we make for the land near their homes.
On 7 December 2019 members of the communities in Ullenhall and near Tanworth in Arden met with us to discuss our plans for the land we have acquired in these areas. Our head forester Stephen and forestry manager Will led walks around each site, answered questions and discussed any issues that the community had. It was great to see so many local people actively showing an interest in our work.
Today (1 February 2020) our team is meeting members of the local community in Binton and we look forward to working with them to create a brand new area of the Forest.
You can help us grow the Forest
It has never been more important to invest in our natural environment. Britain has one of lowest percentages of tree cover in Europe at about 13% with native broadleaf woodland cover even lower at 2%. Donating £10 could help us plant, protect and nurture three trees in the Forest, safe in the knowledge that this land is secured in perpetuity for generations to follow. Donate today and help the Forest flourish.
