Ancient woods have been around for many centuries – long enough to develop into ecosystems that are rich, complex and irreplaceable.

Officially it is woodland that has existed since 1600AD, but many are much older than this. Some may even link back to the original woodland that covered the UK around 10,000 years ago after the last Ice Age.

Ancient woodland now covers only around 2% of the UK. Much of what remains has been damaged by planting with non-native conifers or colonisation by invasive species.

We are working closely with landowners to restore what is left of our ancient woodland. Careful woodland management to let in sunlight encourages native species to thrive again, reversing years of damage.