A forest for the future - action is needed now to create
England’s largest new native forest.
We have the opportunity to create the largest new continuous native forest in England. We have identified 850 acres (345 Ha) of land just to the north of Sandridge, near St Albans in Hertfordshire which would be ideal for this. We have now purchased this land, but still need your help to create the largest new native forest in England
The land is a mixture of arable farmland and approximately 50 acres of ancient woodland. Our vision will involve creation of woodland and open space habitat, sympathetic to the landscape. It will be a special place for people to visit and enjoy.
What makes this site so special?
- It is huge. At this scale we can really make a difference to both people and wildlife.
- Larger sites tend to be better for wildlife than smaller ones. A woodland creation site of this immense size has the potential for large biodiversity gains which smaller new woods may not be able to offer. Initially by reducing the chemical input and creation of semi natural habitat, the land will be more friendly for a whole host of species in the area, such as badgers, hares, dormice, frogs and toads, skylarks nightingales and barn owls to name but a few. In the long term, as the woodland develops and matures, we might reasonably expect to bring in new and exciting species such as red kite and goshawk, which need woodland landscapes of this scale to breed.
- We will have the opportunity to link and buffer the existing ancient woodland. These ancient woods are great examples of oak and hornbeam ancient woodland, with iconic species in abundance in the spring, such as wood anemones and bluebells.
- Land in England is under ever increasing pressure for new houses and development. Through this project we would be able to help secure a large area for people locally and further away to use and enjoy. A wood of this scale will be a real destination for people and offer many exciting opportunities for recreation, engagement and relaxation.
- We would have the opportunity to plant large numbers of trees around 600,000. The UK is one of the least wooded places in Europe and only a small proportion of our woodland, around 40 per cent, is native. We want to see native broadleaf woodland cover doubled and this site will go a small way towards achieving this.
- We can engage a large number of people with this site through tree planting, seed collection and growing, educational events and other activities.