The National Forest project in the UK is a visionary mission to create a large new forest area (often referred to as woodland by the project) across 200 square miles of central England. Over 8 million trees have so far been planted (2012 figure).
Essentially it is a network of interconnected new planting areas to create a ‘working’, useable new forest area. Rather than an absolute block of reserved forest, it is being developed in and around where people live and work, and allows a wide range of uses of the forest, including making use of the wood grown. There are around 200,000 people living in the forest area. Farmers and other land owners are encouraged to allow parts of their land to be given over to new tree plantings.
By encouraging not just recreational use, but also other woodland / forest related businesses, the multi-purpose vision of this new forest is trying to address economic sustainability as well as environmental sustainability.
From the project’s website:
The National Forest is a forest in the making…
– It is an inspiring example for the country, in the face of climate change and other environmental pressures
– It is a place of enjoyment and learning for its residents and visitors
– It is a place of contrasts, where people find quiet relaxation and active leisure
– It is a working forest providing new and sustainable livelihoods.
This is a very interesting example of ideas on being practical around new forest generation, and jointly addressing conservation, social and economic issues.
Learn more about what they are doing, and how they are going about it at http://www.nationalforest.org