feature Forestry
GOING WILD OUT WEST
A new super-forest is being planted in England’s west country
Britain is creating its first new national forest in 30 years, with 20m trees being planted across Bristol, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset by 2050, and it’s hoped that rural jobs will be created along with new habitats.
The new Western Forest will stretch from the Cotswolds to the Mendips resulting in at least 2,500 hectares of new woodland, bringing trees and woodlands closer to 2.5m people, including urban centres such as Bristol, Gloucester and Swindon.
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The government announcement in March is the first step in Labour keeping its manifesto pledge to “establish three new National Forests in England, while planting millions of trees and creating new woodlands.”
When announcing the Western Forest nature minister Mary Creagh said, “The government was elected on a mandate to plant three new national forests this parliament, as part of our commitment to reach net zero and drive sustainable growth under the government’s Plan for Change.
“We will plant 20m trees in the Western Forest to bring nature closer to people, prevent flooding and support wildlife.” In a recent blog for the Forestry Commission, highlighting how tree planting initiatives are transforming England’s landscape, Richard Chapman, deputy director of Defra’s Nature for climate fund tree programme, said, “Planting brings green spaces closer to where people live and work, creates new green jobs for local communities and supports sustainable growth all while tackling climate change.”
Job creation in rural areas is hoped to be one major benefit of the new forest, and as well as woodland planting and
14 uniteLANDWORKER Spring 2026
management there are lots of other ways that this initiative can build the local economy across the west of England.
The last new forest to be developed was in 1991. The National Forest aimed to transform a post-industrial landscape spanning 200 square miles of the Midlands across parts of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Staffordshire.
This project linked some of the area's ancient remnant forests and hoped that it would demonstrate “how trees can be the catalyst for regeneration.”
Since then nearly 10m trees have been planted, making a noticeable change to the area. Forest cover has increased from 6 per cent to 25 per cent and over 8,000 hectares of new habitats have been transformed. It has reversed national trends of biodiversity decline. And tt has also led to a growth of jobs in the rural economy.
In May, The social value of tourism report from Visit England, highlighted The National Forest as a leading case study in regenerative tourism, pointing to growing visitor numbers along with environmental recovery, community benefit and long-term sustainability.
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