The National Forest is an environmental project in central

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

run by The National Forest Company. From the 1990s, of north Leicestershire, south

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the no ...

and southeast Staffordshire have been planted in an attempt to blend ancient woodland with newly planted areas to create a new national forest. It stretches from the western outskirts of Leicester in the east to

Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. In 2011, it had a population of 72,299. The d ...

in the west, and is planned to link the ancient forests of Needwood and Charnwood. In January 2018 the UK government unveiled plans to create a new English Northern Forest extending from Liverpool to Hull. It will shadow the path of the east-west

M62 motorway The M62 is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting Liverpool and Hull via Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield; of the route is shared with the M60 orbital motorway around Manchester. The road is part of t ...

The National Forest Company

The National Forest Company is a not-for-profit organisation established in April 1995 as a

company limited by guarantee In British, Australian, Bermudian, Hong Kong and Irish company law (and previously New Zealand), a company limited by guarantee (CLG) is a type of corporation used primarily (but not exclusively) for non-profit organisations that require legal pe ...

. It is supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), with the aim of converting one third of the land within the boundaries of the National Forest () to

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

, by encouraging landowners to alter their land use. It is described as "a

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

in the making" and it is hoped to increase

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...

and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

-related jobs in the area. Around 8.5 million trees have been planted, more than tripling the woodland cover from 6% to 20%.

Planting

Approximately 85% of the trees planted are native broadleaf species. Some of the most commonly planted species are: English oak,

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

, poplar, Corsican pine and

Scots pine ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US) or Baltic pine, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and or ...

. The transformation of the landscape is beginning to take effect as the first tiny whips planted in the early 1990s are growing into substantial trees.

Attractions

At the centre of the National Forest is ''Conkers'', a visitor centre located just outside the village of

Moira, Leicestershire Moira is a former mining village about south-west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in North West Leicestershire, England. The village is about south of Swadlincote and is close to the boundary with Derbyshire. The population is included in the civil pa ...

. There is also a visitor centre with wildlife walks and playgrounds at

Rosliston Rosliston is a small village and civil parish in South Derbyshire, England close to the county boundaries of Leicestershire and Staffordshire.OS Explorer Map 245: The National Forest :(1:25 000) :

. Other attractions include: *

Ashby Canal The Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal is a long canal in England which connected the mining district around Moira, just outside the town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, with the Coventry Canal at Bedworth in Warwickshire. It was opened in 1804, a ...

Ashby Castle Ashby de la Zouch Castle is a ruined fortification in the town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England. The castle was built by William, Lord Hastings, a favourite of Edward IV, after 1473, accompanied by the creation of a park. Cons ...

Ashby-de-la-Zouch Ashby-de-la-Zouch, sometimes spelt Ashby de la Zouch () and shortened locally to Ashby, is a market town and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. The town is near to the Derbyshire and Staffordsh ...

*Ashby de-la-Zouch museum, Ashby de-la-Zouch *

Bardon Hill Bardon Hill is the highest Hill in Leicestershire and on a clear day the Malvern and Shropshire Hills (approx. 50–60 miles), summits in Derbyshire (approx. 30–40 miles) and Lincoln Cathedral (almost 50 miles away) can be seen. However ...

- highest point in the National Forest at above sea level *

Battlefield Line Railway The Battlefield Line Railway is a heritage railway in Leicestershire, England.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : It runs from Shackerstone (Grid ref ) to Shenton (), via Market Bosworth, a total of . Shenton is near Bo ...

* Beacon Hill, Leicestershire * Bradgate Park *

Calke Abbey Calke Abbey is a Grade I listed country house near Ticknall, Derbyshire, England, in the care of the charitable National Trust. The site was an Augustinian priory from the 12th century until its dissolution by Henry VIII. The present building ...

, Ticknall * Claymills Victorian Pumping Station * Croxall Lakes *

Donington le Heath Manor House Donington is the name of a number of places in England: * Donington, Lincolnshire, a small town in South Holland, Lincolnshire * Donington, Shropshire, a civil parish in Shropshire, England * Donington on Bain, a village in Lindsey, Lincolnshire * ...

* Flagship Diamond Wood * Foremark Reservoir, Foremark *

Fradley Junction Fradley Junction () is a canal junction between Fradley and Alrewas near Lichfield, Staffordshire, EnglandOS Explorer Map 245: The National Forest :(1:25 000) :

* Grace Dieu Priory *

Kedleston Hall Kedleston Hall is a neo-classical manor house, and seat of the Curzon family, located in Kedleston, Derbyshire, approximately 4 miles (6 km) north-west of Derby. The medieval village of Kedleston was moved in 1759 by Nathaniel Curzon to ma ...

* Loughborough Outwoods * Melbourne Hall * Moira Furnace *

Mount St. Bernard Abbey Mount St Bernard Abbey is a Roman Catholic, Trappist monastery near Coalville, Leicestershire, England, founded in 1835 in the parish of Whitwick and now in that of Charley. The abbey was the first permanent monastery to be founded in England s ...

National Memorial Arboretum The National Memorial Arboretum is a British site of national remembrance at Alrewas, near Lichfield, Staffordshire. Its objective is to honour the fallen, recognise service and sacrifice, and foster pride in the British Armed Forces and civilia ...

* Rosliston Forestry Centre *

Seale Wood Seale may refer to: *Seale, Alabama, an unincorporated community in the United States *Seale, Surrey, a village in England *Seale Hayne College, military hospital in Ivybridge, Devon, UK Seale is also a surname: *Seale Baronets (since 1838), noble ...

Sence Valley Forest Park Sence Valley Forest Park is located between Ibstock and Heather in North West Leicestershire, and within the National Forest, England. It is situated on the site of a former open cast mine where, between 1982 and 1996, eight million tonnes o ...

* Sharpe's Pottery Museum *

Staunton Harold Reservoir Staunton Harold Reservoir is a large reservoir under the management of Severn Trent Water, located between Melbourne and Ticknall in Derbyshire, England. Most of the water is within Derbyshire but a small part of the southern shore is over the bo ...

Sudbury Hall Sudbury Hall is a English country house, country house in Sudbury, Derbyshire, England. One of the country's finest Restoration style, Restoration mansions, it has Grade I listed building status. The National Trust Museum of Childhood is housed ...

* Swithland Wood *

The National Forest Maze ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

*T.G.Green Cornishware Archive Museum * Thornton Reservoir *

Tropical Birdland, Leicestershire Tropical Birdland in the north of the village of Desford, Leicestershire, England, is a visitor attraction that has many bird species including parrots, toucans, hornbill Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family (biology), family of bird found ...

* Twycross Zoo The towns of

Ashby de la Zouch Ashby-de-la-Zouch, sometimes spelt Ashby de la Zouch () and shortened locally to Ashby, is a market town and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. The town is near to the Derbyshire and Staffordsh ...

Swadlincote Swadlincote is a former mining town in the district of South Derbyshire, England, lying within The National Forest area. It borders the counties of Leicestershire and Staffordshire, south-east of Burton upon Trent and north-west of Ashby-d ...

and

Coalville Coalville is an industrial town in the district of North West Leicestershire, Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England, with a population at the 2011 census of 34,575. It lies on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon ...

are located within the forest area.

References

External links

Official site

Rosliston Forestry Centre

Conkers Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Forest Forests and woodlands of Derbyshire Forests and woodlands of Staffordshire

Reforestation North West Leicestershire District Borough of Charnwood South Derbyshire District Borough of East Staffordshire Lichfield District Hinckley and Bosworth Types of formally designated forests 1990 establishments in England Government agencies established in 1990 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Private companies limited by guarantee of the United Kingdom

The National Forest Company

Planting

Attractions

See also

References

External links