Forestry England

Forestry England has been growing, shaping and caring for the nation's forests for over 100 years and is responsible for over 1,500 English forests.  Forestry England are working to restore ecosystems and create wonderfully inviting habits for endangered and rare species.

Increasing woodland cover across the nation is important for locking up carbon, but the wrong trees in the wrong places can have adverse impacts on the environment.  That’s why they are planting an ever more diverse range of tree species grown from carefully selected seeds that are better able to cope with our changing climate.  This ensures they will continue to provide healthy habitats that continue to thrive for generations to come. By planting a range of species, they are also able to increase the availability of different types of food and nectars available to wildlife.

Each part of the land is a potential home for wildlife. For example, brambles can be an excellent source of food for butterflies and bees, birds and small mammals, while also making great places for birds to nest.  Dead wood and dying trees can provide homes for bats, fungi, lichens and mosses, and birds and insects can find homes in hollow trees.

Too many deer are a problem in many of these forests.  In the Middle Ages deer lived among bears, wolves and people, so predation and limited hunting would have kept populations at a more sustainable level. However, with high reproductive rates and no natural predators, the number of deer in our forests is now having a negative impact. By grazing and foraging for food they can harm plants and young and vulnerable trees, as well as many animals that rely on these habitats.  This has led to declines in dormice, bats, birds and butterflies, including heath and silver-washed fritillaries.  Culling deer allows vegetation to regrow and wildlife to recover.