Latest news with #ForestryEngland
BBC News
3 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
Ennerdale's hairy ant experiment to make forest more resistant
An experiment to make woodland more resilient has seen hairy wood ant nests relocated across England moved six colonies with thousands of ants from Cropton Forest in North Yorkshire to Ennerdale in Cumbria, in a bid to bring back lost wildlife species and support Gardner, from Forestry England said the project in the Lake District would help "rebuild complex forest communities" that can better deal with extreme weather, climate change and organisation said hairy wood ants' nests, which are mounded and can be up to 6.5ft (2m) high, are ideal habitats for over 100 species including beetles, hoverflies, mites, woodlice and other ants. "[Hairy wood ants] can reduce plant damage by keeping herbivorous pests away," a spokesman explained."However, other herbivores, with adapted ant-defences, can thrive." This is the second phase of the project, with nests already relocated earlier this year using a different method, and early signs suggest they had been "unaffected by the journey".Hayley Dauben, Forestry England's species reintroduction officer who is leading the project, said they would closely monitor how the colonies establish themselves and any differences between the two methods."The next crucial milestone will be in April 2026 as the ants emerge from their period of winter hibernation," she added. Forestry England has worked on the project with the University of September, the organisations will collaborate to support a PhD to help study the wider impacts of the project at Ennerdale. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
How we are addressing the challenge of forest resilience
Alastair Collier is right to point out that to build forests that can withstand future conditions, we must invest in resilience from the outset (Letters, 17 July). At Forestry England, forest resilience is our most critical challenge. We must ensure the nation's 1,500 forests in our care can withstand and adapt to the threats facing them, including climate change, biodiversity loss, extreme weather, and pests and diseases. We are doing this by planning 100 years ahead in the way we manage these beautiful places, which are home to some of the UK's rarest wildlife. For example, based on rigorous scientific analysis, we have identified the top 30 tree species that will thrive in future environments. This is guiding our investment in our tree nursery and is helping us to ensure that the right tree is in the right place, both today and in the future. The benefits of the nation's forests are enormous, from storing carbon and mitigating floods to supporting our health and wellbeing. They are an unsurpassed national asset. As their custodians, we are putting forest resilience at the heart of everything we do. The future will look and feel very different to today. Building forest resilience is our opportunity to make sure the nation's forests continue to evolve, adapt, welcome people and contribute to a sustainable SeddonChief executive, Forestry England
BBC News
16-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
New Forest District Council ask residents to take part in survey
A council is asking people whether two orders put in place to protect the New Forest should be extended for three more existing Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) were introduced in 2023 to ensure the safety of people and prohibit the lighting of fires and barbecues, the dropping or placing of items that could cause a fire, and the feeding or petting of free-roaming New Forest ponies, horses, donkeys, and mules.A survey on the New Forest District Council (NFDC) website is open until midnight on 10 August. Councillor Dan Poole, portfolio holder for community, safety and wellbeing, said the PSPOs had played a "vital role in protecting the New Forest and its wildlife".Since the orders were introduced there have been 399 recorded incidents, with 2,099 people spoken to about their council said the conversations had also been used "to highlight the New Forest Code and promote responsible behaviour".The orders have also been supported by Forestry England, the New Forest National Park Authority, and the Verderers of the New Poole said: "Our approach has been about educating people and protecting our environment."Almost all issues have been resolved through conversation and guidance, and we want to continue building on that success. "I encourage everyone who cares about the forest to take part in the survey." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
14-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
New Forest areas assessed for damage after seven weekend fires
Several areas of a national park are being assessed for damage following weekend the worst incident in the New Forest, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) said crews from Hardley and Beaulieu began tackling a blaze on Exbury Road, Beaulieu, shortly before 22:00 BST on reels and jets, as well as a specialist water carrier vehicle from Eastleigh, were used to extinguish the blaze which affected a 60m by 40m area of England said it was one of seven fire-related incidents in the forest over the weekend, at least two of which were caused by campfires. "The current risk of wildfires is high and everyone visiting can help to protect the forest."We are reviewing the affected areas to assess the level of damage. "We would like to thank the fire service for attending the incidents so quickly and making the areas safe," it added. The site at Beaulieu is still being monitored and the cause is being use of barbecues and the lighting of campfires in the New Forest is prohibited under Public Space Protection Orders introduced in England also urged people to discard any cigarettes, glass bottles and other litter safely to reduced the risk of wildfires following the hot, dry weather conditions. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Step up restoration of ancient woodland before it is lost, Forestry England urged
Forestry England needs to urgently step up its ancient woodland restoration before this irreplaceable habitat is lost for ever, campaigners have said. Findings by the campaign group Wild Card suggest that in the 10 most recently assessed years Forestry England, which is in charge of the country's woodlands, has fully restored just 5.8% (2,484 hectares/6,138 acres) of publicly owned plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWs). The actor Judi Dench has joined a campaign to conserve the 'ancient wisdom' and ask for a funded government strategy to urgently restore England's oldest and most precious forests. The ancient woodlands of England are critically important habitats for many rare creatures with irreplaceable ecosystems created by the mature trees. The term covers areas that have been wooded continuously since at least AD1600. Throughout the UK, as much as 70% of ancient woods have been lost or damaged in the last 100 years due to conifer plantations, overgrazing and the spread of invasive species such as rhododendron. A Forestry England spokesperson said restoration 'can be difficult, needs care and takes time. Some woodlands can have trees replaced more quickly than others, some are more challenging. Deer and squirrels can stop trees from regenerating naturally. Planting native trees and protecting them can be expensive and time-consuming. And we must choose the right pace for the woodland: clear-felling large areas of PAWS can harm the ancient features we want to protect such as fungi-rich soils.' In 2022, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) set a new national target to restore or start the restoration of the majority of ancient woodlands covered with plantations by 2030, following a missed initial target of 2020. However, the new analysis has found that at the current rate of progress Forestry England will not be able to deliver on this target until 2111, more than 80 years late. Forestry England gives a baseline year of 2013-14 for improvement on its natural capital accounts. Since then the body has fully restored just 5.8% of its total PAWS to a semi-natural score of 1 (woodlands where less than 80% of the tree cover is native species). In 2013-14, 9,066 hectares were already in this condition, so 11,550 hectares (or 26.99%) of Forestry England's 42,781 hectares of PAWS can be considered to be restored ancient woodlands. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion This shows the body has taken 10 years to restore 5.8% and still has 31,231 hectares to re-establish. Between 2013-14 and 2022-23, the natural capital accounts data suggests Forestry England started to gradually restore 3,553 hectares (10.5%) of the public forest estate PAWS, which suggests that at the current rate of progress (10.5% over a decade) it will take 86 years from now to start the restoration process of all of the Forestry England PAWS. A recent government report found there was currently no definition of important trees, and that some of the UK's most culturally important trees had no protection whatsoever. The researchers have advised ministers to create a taskforce within the next 12 months to clearly define 'important trees' and swiftly prepare an action plan to save them. Rosie Smart-Knight, a campaigner at Wild Card, said: 'The state of Britain's nature is a source of national shame and nowhere is this more apparent than with the appalling treatment of our ancient woodlands. We recently saw the public outcry over the felling of just two trees, the iconic Hadrian's Wall sycamore and a 500-year-old oak next to a Toby Carvery. When you consider how many similarly wondrous and charismatic trees would have stood in our ancient woodlands you get a sense of the devastating loss across the nation. 'Despite being the guardians of our public forests, Forestry England receives shockingly little support from Defra for the restoration of our nation's ghost woods. Defra must step up and financially support Forestry England to follow through on restoration targets or risk losing half of our ancient woodlands for ever.' Dench said: 'Forestry England is responsible for over 100,000 acres that were once ancient, life-filled woodland. These were places of deep memory and wild beauty. But instead of letting nature return, much of the land has been smothered with fast-growing timber plantations. These places are now often uniform, silent, and sterile. In the process, we've lost so much of the rich biodiversity that once thrived there. 'I've always felt there is profound wisdom in trees, an ancient wisdom that we need to retain and let speak again. That's why this matters so much to me. Thankfully beneath these silent ghost woods, the heartbeat of life is still beating. Fragile threads of fungal networks and native seed banks are still clinging on. But scientists are warning us that they won't last much longer. If we don't act soon, they'll be lost for ever. It's time to let these forests live and breathe once more.' The Forestry England spokesperson said: 'We have met, and are still meeting, our commitments because we are restoring all of our PAWS and have been for many years. Using the skill and expertise of our foresters and ecologists, we have removed non-native trees from every one of our every PAWS and are still doing so. 'We agree that restoring PAWS is important and it is a key part of our work to reverse the biodiversity crisis. We have a good track record of successful restoration projects across the country, and have an ambition to double our rate of PAWS restoration. At over 40,000 hectares, it is arguably the largest nature restoration programme in the country.'
