How the Sherwood Forest Trust are conserving Nottinghamshire's ancient woodland

For those who haven’t heard of the Sherwood Forest Trust, can you tell us about your work?

We’re a charity that was established about thirty years ago. We began as a landscape partnership called the Sherwood Initiative – shared between the Forestry Commission and local authorities across Nottinghamshire. Since then we’ve done a lot of work right across the county protecting, restoring and celebrating the internationally legendary Sherwood Forest. 

Of course, for those of us who live here, it’s not that easy to recognise the extent of the forest. Our base is in Edwinstowe, next to the RSPB visitor centre, which is very visible, but Sherwood is, and was, far bigger than that, and what we’re left with now are fragments of forest scattered across the county. A big part of our work is about expanding tree cover where we can.

How are you working to expand tree cover?

We collect seed from target species, particularly from ancient trees that have stood the test of time, and we bring community groups along with us to take part. It gives people a chance to understand more about the ancients, and the importance of trees grown from local provenance.

We grow those trees in our nursery, giving them the best possible chance of survival, before they’re planted back out across the county as part of new and existing projects.

In terms of the historic extent of Sherwood Forest, how big was it compared to today?

We have maps dating from the early thirteenth century showing a forest that stretches across much of the county – as far south as Lenton, and north towards places like Clumber. 

What we see today are remnants of something that shaped the identity, culture and ecology of the county. That sense of scale is really important, because it helps people understand that if they live in Nottinghamshire, they are very likely living on land that was once part of Sherwood Forest.

What’s the value of forests?

There’s the obvious role forests play in carbon capture, producing oxygen – the lungs of the country. But on a much more human scale we all know how it feels to step into a green space – however small that space is, there’s a kind of exhale. For me personally, it feels like coming home. There’s a deep sense of connection and ease. I notice how different conversations are when you’re walking together in a green space – when I walk in the forest with a colleague, what’s possible feels different. The conversation becomes more creative, freer, more wide-ranging.

Green spaces spark curiosity, and we really need that. Times are tough. That fills me with real passion, because I do think we can make a difference, and people need to feel that they can make a difference. Clearing rubbish from a planter, creating beauty, attracting butterflies back; we have plenty of research that tells us these things matter, but we also know it intuitively. 

In November you held the first forest ‘moot’ in over a hundred years. What’s that all about?

Historically, a moot was a gathering of the people of the forest. It was a space to come together and talk about what was happening in the forest, and what people wanted for its future. We used it as a springboard to bring communities together from across the historic boundaries of Sherwood Forest. The conversations focused not only on how we celebrate the forest but also how we protect it.

We invited people from lots of different settings – WI groups, Scouts, Brownies, parish councils, local councillors – to talk about Sherwood Forest Day, and how we can make the most of it as a community celebration of the forest.

What’s Sherwood Forest Day?

It’s happening on Friday 20 February. It was spearheaded by Michelle Welsh, our MP for Sherwood Forest, and it marks the birthday of Hayman Rooke, who was born in 1723. He was an antiquarian and soldier, and he’s best known for discovering the Major Oak, as well as two Roman villas near Mansfield Woodhouse. The Major Oak was named after him, and while he had wider archaeological interests, we particularly recognise him for his role as a conservationist and recorder of Sherwood’s history.

How can people get involved?

First, it’s about recognising that your community is part of Sherwood Forest. If you’re within the historic boundary, we’d love people to mark that - for example through a plaque that says, “This place is part of the legendary Sherwood Forest.” 

Then it’s about asking, what’s your patch of Sherwood like? What green spaces do you have locally, and how can you care for them? That might start very simply – understanding what’s there now, and what used to be there. Practically we can look at clearing any litter, asking are there invasive species which should be removed? 

Then we can look at whether there was once heathland – an internationally important habitat that Sherwood is known for. If there’s room to plant trees, we can support that too via our tree nursery, and there are parallel efforts towards planting more trees like the Sherwood People’s Forest project.

The Major Oak has had a difficult few years. How is it doing?

Our partners at the RSPB are doing a lot of important work. We’ve seen shoots of growth this year, which is encouraging, but it’s certainly in its dying phase. What the Trust is particularly focused on, is its legacy. 

In this stage it’s still extraordinary, and incredibly beautiful. Even as it declines, the Major Oak continues to serve nature, provide habitats and teach us how to care for ancient trees. There’s also important work happening with partners like the Woodland Trust to map and better understand Sherwood’s ancient trees.

Finally, what are your hopes for Sherwood Forest in a hundred, or even five hundred, years’ time?

More tree coverage for sure – but wilder, more connected coverage. That means connected landscapes, with nature corridors linking fragments together. But it also means people feeling connected – Sherwood truly becoming a people’s forest again.

We want people to get to know their patch, understand how it connects to the next patch, and feel part of a shared heritage that stretches across generations. So lots more trees, and people having real relationships with them.

Find out more about Sherwood Forest Trust and Sherwood Forest Day, which takes place on Friday 20 February at the link below.

sherwoodforest.org.uk