Coed Cadw (the Woodland Trust in Wales) has over 100 woods in its care across the length and breadth of Wales, from Coed y Gopa near Abergele overlooking the Irish Sea, to Casehill Wood near Dinas Powys in the rolling countryside of the Vale or Glamorgan.
Together, these woods have a total area of 1,580 hectares (3,900 acres) and almost all of them have free public access. Some of them are nationally and internationally important wildlife sites, while others have a huge importance to local communities as accessible green space.
The Woodland Trust’s largest wood in Wales is Wentwood Forest, 352 hectares (nearly 900 acres) of which is in the care of the Trust. Wentwood is Wales’ largest remaining ancient woodland, and is a remnant of a vast woodland that once stretched from the River Usk to the Wye Valley. Lying a few miles to the north east of Newport, it is mentioned in texts dating back to the Dark Ages, and was once a hunting forest for Chepstow castle. During the 20th century most of the native trees at Wentwood were felled and replaced by non-native conifers. The Woodland Trust acquired the site in 2006 following our most successful fundraising appeal ever, and has now set about restoring the site to its former broadleaved glory.