Detailed plans are being crafted to create more than three hundred hectares of new woodland in Staffordshire – which will make it the largest newly-planted forest in England in the last 20 years.
The site in Abbots Bromley could fit around 750 football pitches within it and Forestry England says it will be called Bagots Park Wood.
It is hoped it will connect vital habitats already supporting animal species and plants such as the spotted marsh orchid.
It will also aim to improve the habitats of other wildlife including badgers, bats, newts and birds.
Paddy Harrop, central director of Forestry England, said: “Creating a woodland on this scale is a rare and exciting moment for us.
“It’s not since before 2005 that we’ve had an opportunity on this scale, and this project represents a major investment in the future of Staffordshire’s natural landscapes.
“Local people can look forward to spending time in this new woodland which will be a lasting natural asset for generations.”
Forestry England is now beginning its detailed planning and will work closely with communities and organisations as proposals take shape.
Draft designs will be shared later this year as part of a public consultation to help residents shape how the new woodland grows.
Using extensive site surveys and climate science, Forestry England says it will plant a mix of carefully selected tree species and weave open spaces throughout the site.
It says this approach will create a “mosaic of habitats able to adapt and thrive in a rapidly-changing climate”.
As the woodland grows, it will also lock up carbon, support wildlife and eventually contribute to a sustainable timber supply as part of the UK’s green economy.
Once the new woodland is established, Forestry England will open up a total of more than 600 hectares of woodland for local people to explore. This will include Bagots Park Wood, as well as over 300 hectares of additional land at the neighbouring Bagot Forest, which is already managed by Forestry England but has not previously been open to the public. With access to both sites, local people will be able to explore new and mature woodland side by side.
The project is funded through the government’s Nature for Climate Fund and forms part of Forestry England’s wider programme to create new, climate-resilient woodlands across the country. Since 2021 they have planted more than 2 million trees across 17 new woodlands covering more than 1,140 hectares. Each woodland is designed to withstand the threats from climate change, pests and diseases, and biodiversity collapse so they flourish in the future.
Click to access Bagots%20Forest%20Plan%202016_0.pdf
Photos of Bagots Park Wood are credited to Forestry England
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