Government halts plans to sell the public forest estate in England.
Independent Panel announced - what does the Trust want to see this achieve?
As a woodland conservation charity, the future of the forests themselves, especially the ancient woods, and how to protect their value for wildlife and for people is the critical issue.
Read our formal response to the Government's u-turn
The issue of ownership might be over for now. But the threat to ancient woods and trees continues!
Some ancient woods may slip through the net of protection, while many others may go unrestored.
Ancient woods are special.
So often described as our equivalent to the rainforest, ancient woodland is defined as a habitat of extraordinary continuity which stretches back hundreds and even thousands of years. Ancient woods therefore are fragile, highly sensitive to change and completely irreplaceable. Incredibly, 85% of what little remaining ancient woodland there is across the UK has no protective legal designation. Every day this precious woodland asset comes under threat.
Ancient woods that have been planted over time with conifers are known as planted ancient woodland sites (PAWS). The conservation potential of these damaged woods is incredibly high and Government has committed to restoring planted ancient woods on the public estate... but there is a limited window of opportunity to do this before it's too late.
Their future is still uncertain. Please raise a voice for them with us: