Trees woods and wildlife
Animals
Woods and trees are home to more wildlife than any other landscape, providing homes for thousands of species including our most loved animals.
Assistant campaigner - policy & advocacy
Woods are a vital part of the ecosystems that give us the essentials of life. Woods and forests are amazing places - they are beautiful and provide us with many benefits. Without them the world would be a very different place. Here are 11 key facts about woods and forests in the UK.
Our woods and trees are home to more wildlife than any other landscape. The UK's woodland has some of our richest habitats, providing homes for thousands of species including many of our mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates.
Woods and their trees provide shelter, food and safe places to hide and breed.
Trees woods and wildlife
Woods and trees are home to more wildlife than any other landscape, providing homes for thousands of species including our most loved animals.
Trees woods and wildlife
Woods are brimming with wildlife. Discover what's out there with our identification guides.
Blog
Charlotte Varela • 09 May 2019
Blog
Charlie Mellor • 20 Nov 2023
Fungi have fine threads that spread underground called mycelium. Trees use mycelium like an underground internet to link with other trees and plants. They use these networks to communicate, such as to warn each other of danger.
They also use them to share nutrients. Older trees will pass nutrients to their offspring that are growing nearby. These partnerships are called ‘mycorrhiza’.
The UK is home to a few small pockets of rainforest. They are temperate deciduous forests with a constantly moist environment that encourages growth of mosses and ferns.
The canopy is made up of the leaves and branches of the tallest trees.
The understorey or shrub layer is the vegetation below the canopy from smaller trees or shrubs, such as hawthorn, that grow in low light.
The herb (or field) layer comes next. Plants that grow here depend on how open the canopy is - many need gaps of light to grow.
The ground layer is the forest floor filled with mosses, fungi, leaf litter and decaying wood.
The next largest is England’s Kielder Forest in Northumberland which is 235 square miles.
The UK is the second least wooded country in Europe after Ireland. Europe’s average tree cover is 44%.
Not enough trees are being planted in the UK, meaning we could soon be in a period of deforestation. That's why we're creating new woodland and connect existing woods by planting native trees.
Ancient woodland is defined as areas that have been continuously wooded since 1600 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 1750 in Scotland.
It’s not the trees but the soils that make them ancient. The soils have been preserved from human interference for centuries. This has resulted in the development of complex ecosystems that make ancient woods unique and irreplaceable. We're working hard to protect these habitats and prevent them from disappearing.
Home to myth and legend, where folk tales began. It fuelled our ancestors and still houses thousands of species. Ancient woodland has grown and adapted with native wildlife, yet what remains only covers 2.5% of the UK.
Find out more about ancient woodlandThe UK is famous for its stunning bluebell carpets that bloom in our ancient woods from April to May. They are a slow spreading bulb flower with each bulb potentially living for years.
New flowers bloom from the existing bulbs every year. But they face many threats from trampling, habitat loss, competition and hybridisation with Spanish bluebells, and from people picking them or digging up the bulbs (this is illegal).
We believe everyone should be able to access woods near them for free. We also buy woods to safeguard and restore them, where we can. We take on sites with existing or ancient woodland or create new woods by planting. Some of our popular sites have both, such as Heartwood Forest in Hertfordshire.
Search thousands of woods across the UK and gather information on the local facilities, features, wildlife and history in the area.
Find a woodOver 70 organisations, local groups and thousands of people worked together to create a Tree Charter that will guide policy and practice in the UK. Launched on the 800th anniversary of the Charter of the Forests, it's made up of 10 principles that illustrate how we should use, value, protect and celebrate woods and trees. Over 140,000 people have shown their support by signing the Charter.
Lots of research provides evidence that woods benefit our health. Studies have shown that patients with views of trees out their windows heal faster and with fewer complications. Children with ADHD show fewer symptoms when they have access to nature. Being near trees helps our concentration by reducing mental fatigue. One study discovered that a forest stroll had beneficial effects on blood pressure, heart rate and the immune system.
Visiting woods
Our woods are home to amazing plants and animals and they're all free for people to enjoy responsibly. Show them you care with our top tips for your visit.
Visiting woods
Go on an adventure. Get closer to nature. Uncover history. Discover ways to explore the UK's woods whatever the season.
Visiting woods
Visiting woods
Discover events at our woods and the festivals and fairs you can find us at soon.