The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity

The Woodland Trust cares for more than 1,000 sites containing approximately 20,000 hectares of woods, heathland and grassland.

Our sites range from tiny woods to the 4,100 hectare Glen Finglas estate, in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.

Among our sites we have over 6,000 hectares of ancient woodland and more than 100 Sites of Special Scientific Interest. We are restoring over 2,000 hectares of ancient woodland which has been replanted with non-native conifers.

Since the Woodland Trust was formed in 1972, we have created more than 3,200 hectares of new woodland for people to enjoy. Our Tree For All campaign aims to add to this by involving over one million children in planting 12 million trees, one for every child under 16 in the UK.

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See our Woodland Management Principles


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Aversley Wood, Cambridgeshire WTPL/Uta Reed
 
Our vision
  • No further loss of ancient woodland
  • The biodiversity of woodland restored and improved
  • An increase in the area of new native woodland
  • An increase in people’s understanding and enjoyment of woodland

A wonderful wildlife habitat: Ledmore and Migdale Woods, set among the mountains, moors and glens of the Scottish Highlands. It is ancient woodland and contains two Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
 
Why look after woods?
Don’t they look after themselves?

Some do. Others need only a very light touch.

But most of our finest ancient woods – those with the richest variety of plants and wildlife –
are that way because they have been valued and managed.

Caring about woods usually means caring for them.

All three species of British woodpeckers – green, great and lesser spotted – thrive in Wormley Wood, Hertfordshire. A Site of Special Scientific Interest and a National Nature Reserve, its ancient trees and standing and fallen deadwood host a wonderful variety of fungi. Photo: Andrew Butler
 
How does the Woodland Trust look after a wood?

It depends on the wood and on the landscape it stands in.

Our woodland managers are guided by seven key principles when deciding how to care for a site. By opening up this leaflet, you can read about these principles and how they help us turn our vision for the future of UK woodland into a reality.

Coppicing hazel in Hammond’s Copse, Surrey. This woodsman is producing bindings for traditionally laid hedges. In the process he’s also letting light reach the woodland floor, benefiting wildlife and flowers. Photograph: Brian Aldrich
 
Responsible, sustainable management
  • The Woodland Trust was the first major landowner in the UK to have all its woods certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an independent, international body set up to promote better management of the world’s forests. Certification by the FSC guarantees that wood and wood products have come from responsibly managed sustainable sources that meet strict environmental, social and economic standards.
     
  • We draw up a management plan for each of our woods, applying our woodland management principles and taking into account local circumstances. Our management plans contain a description of each site and a rolling five year programme of management work.
     
  • The plans are now available for everyone to see on our Woods in Focus website at
    www.wt-woods.org.uk
     
  • We aim to continue to manage our woods in a responsible, sustainable way and to be clear and open about what we are doing.

This wonderful old wall curves through Little Doward Woods, at the head of the Wye Gorge, in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. WTPL

 See our Woodland Management Principles