The issue

• The enjoyment of woods brings benefits for people at the individual level, through a greater sense of personal well being and also at group level, by creating a sense of belonging and community through involvement in the stewardship of local woods.
• Woods benefit as a result of public support for their protection and conservation.
• Enjoyment of woods by the public should not result in damage to their conservation value or detract from their beauty and tranquillity.

What we would like to see

• Evidence of greater levels of public enjoyment and appreciation of woodland.
• Greater emphasis by those involved in public education on the contribution which woodland makes to the value of our lives.

How we will achieve this

• We will look at ways of improving the quality and relevance of the information available about our woods.
• We plan to undertake a visitor survey to gather both quantitative and qualitative information about our visitors and their motivations. Whilst concentrating on our woods we will also look at the national picture of how woods are being enjoyed.
• By raising awareness of the Woodland Trust through the media and informing government debate on woodland issues we will draw attention to our work. (see our Millennium Challenges for Government)
• We will promote involvement with the Woodland Trust through membership, local support groups, events and tree plantings, and through responses to local woods under threat.
• We will promote the value of ancient woodland by raising people’s awareness of it and helping them to appreciate it.

We will look for opportunities to develop new ideas and new partnerships which will lead to increased public support

	New native woodland		Enjoyment and awareness
	Improving biodiversity		Ancient woodland