Preserve England’s Forests for Birds and Wildlife
England has lost nearly all its native woodland, with countries in mainland Europe enjoying far more forest cover (Latvia, Germany and Scandinavian countries all protect their woodland far better). A few years back, David Cameron’s government even tried to sell off our remaining public forests to private companies, until a petition at 38 Degrees stopped it.
Forests are not just as patchwork of trees. They are home to native birds and wildlife, provide clean air and are of course wonderful for a stroll (both for humans and dogs).
If walking in the woods with dogs, keep them away from conkers and learn toxic plants like bulbs and mushrooms to avoid. And trees to avoid near horses (including yew & oak).
Keep away from grey/white caterpillars (oak processionary moths can cause allergies and breathing difficulties). Also cordon off affected trees from livestock and horses. Mostly found in London in warm weather, report to your council and Treealert.
Public forests belong to everyone
Forests are not just for humans. They provide berries and nuts and shelter for birds, food and homes for many creatures including badgers to deer.
The Scots pine is the only native pine in England, often found in old forests. Although pine trees are not safe near pets, they are great habitats for endangered red squirrels, providing food, shelter and therefore better immunity against Squirrelpox.
This is why you find more red squirrels in Northumberland and Scotland, where there are more pine forests. Culling grey squirrels is not the answer, a vaccination combined with better woodlands is. Read our post on saving all squirrels.
England’s Community Forests offers free, impartial advice and funding to farmers and landowners, to support you to plan and plant new woodlands.
One thid of Austria is protected woodland
Unlike here, Austria protects its native forests, with the country’s (Green) Climate Minister recently ‘tipping the scales’ for the EU Nature Restoration Law to pass. This means that EU member countries must restore drained peatlands, and plant 3 billion more trees.
In England, we have lost nearly all our woodlands (a few years back during David Cameron’s government, only a petition by 38 Degrees stopped our remaining forests being sold off to private investors who ‘promised’ to protect them).
Yeah, right. Thankfully the law did not pass, and the government later admitted it had made a mistake.
How lots of forests help the planet
The more trees we have, the better we can soak up rainwater, and prevent urban heat island effect, as lots of trees help to provide shade and lower temperatures.
Forests are giant air filters, resulting in cities with lower rates of asthma and cleaner towns, cities and villages for everyone.
People were shocked at the chopping down of Sycamore Gap in Northumberland, as an act of eco-vandalism. But did you know that England’s second-oldest pear tree in Worcestershire was also chopped down, to make way for HS2 high-speed rail?
This project could kill 22,000 wildlife each year when built, when compared with TGV in France. Campaigners say money could instead by invested in better rolling stock and community transport. Barn Owl Trust says that HS2 is ‘a very expensive way of killing owls’.
What we can learn from German forests
90% of Germany’s forests are heavily protected by law, and the 72 tree species are home to up to 10,000 animals and plants. Tree are so protected that there is even a word for it: Bannwald.
Can You Hear the Trees Talking? (by a German forester) is an interactive illustrated book for young readers, teaching how trees feel, communicate and take care of their families.
Learn about the ‘wood wide web’, aphids (who keep ants as pets!) and nature’s water filters. Also learn how trees get sick, and how we can help them to get better.
Trees sometimes nourish the stump of a felled tree for centuries after it was cut down, by feeding it sugars and other nutrients, so keeping it alive. If a tree falls in the forest, there are other trees listening.
When thick beeches support and nourish other trees, they remind me of a herd of elephants. They too look after their own, and help their sick and weak back up on their feet. They are even reluctant to abandon their dead. Peter Wohlleben
How Latvia protects its native forests
Latvia is home to one of Europe’s oldest languages, here you’ll also find Europe’s widest waterfall, and a country that is 50% protected forest. The country has a Forest Law to prevent protected zones being chopped down. 10% of Latvia is bog, so pack your natural rubber wellies!
A Year in the Forest (an illustrated treasury)
A Year in the Forest is a beautiful book offering 365 pages of fascinating facts, captivating stories and more, to celebrate our beautiful forests.
Each month includes a poem with inspiring prompts for drawing and journalling to spark creativity, while fostering a deeper connection to nature.
Discover woodland creatures, the wonders of birds and practical tips for sustainability and conservation. The book also highlights key environmental dates through the year, like Earth Day and World Wildlife Day, making it perfect to celebrate nature’s milestones.
Chris Modafferi is an Italian-American writer who moved to London and now writes books on nature.
Illustrator Magdalena Konecná was born in the Czech Republic, and studied typography in Prague, where she now lives.
Leave wild boars in peace
In England, some places (including the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire) have grazing wild boar (male wild pigs). Most attacks are only if they are disturbed, so never approach them (and always leave an escape route). And keep dogs away (and on a leash nearby). Never feed wild boar, this makes them aggressive towards humans for food.
If you see a wild boar, back away slowly (do not run or shout). Also on walks, stay on marked open paths, as boars nest in thick undergrowth. Female boars will attack to defend their piglets (watch for raised bristles, teeth grinding and loud snorting). Like many animals, boars are mostly active at dawn, dusk and during the night.
The Forest of Dean is home to a population of around 1000 wild boar, ancestors of domestic pigs who are not naturally aggressive, but are powerful with sharp tusks. They dig for roots and tubers up to 10 inches underground, using their good sense of smell.
Three odd plants in the Forest of Dean
- Death Cap Mushroom – this is lethal to people and pets, so stay well away. It’s responsible for 90% of all mushroom fatalities on earth. It however looks like a normal innocent mushroom, which is why it’s so dangerous. If a person or pet goes anyway near it, it’s a medical emergency.
- Jelly Ear (this is a fungi that grows on elder trees, and looks like a human ear!
- Stinkhorn Fungus (this smells like rotting flesh, to attract flies).
Help England’s woodland wildlife (bugs to badgers)
England has lost most of its woodlands, and this is not just sad for us (and trees) but our wonderful woodland wildlife, from birds to insects to native mammals.
If planting green spaces, read about pet-friendly gardens and wildlife-friendly gardens. And trees to avoid near horses (including yew, oak and sycamore).
Create more woodland glades
Glades are when trees are spread out with sunlight still reaching the ground, which helps to grow grass, wildflowers and sometimes small bushes. Animals and insects move freely in a mix of shade and light, without dense tree cover. These are loved by birds and butterflies.
Because the soil is thin, big trees are not found here, instead there are rocks and little hills. Glades are important for plants and animals that need sunlight and space.
Protect and restore ancient trees
Ancient trees are just as important and many other creatures prefer here, with owls, bats and beetles liking to live among the thick trees. Cutting down old-growth trees removes shelter and food for wildlife, and places for birds to nest. Planting new trees does not replace these benefits.
It’s just as important not to pick at bark, or carve names in ancient trees.
Encourage natural regeneration
This like a ‘food forest’, where trees are simply left to grow without planting new seeds, almost like a kind of rewilding to let nature get on with it. Leaving land alone is sometimes the best option.
This enables birds, bugs and animals to live and eat, without disturbance. And creates leaves and branches that are big enough to offer shade and shelter.
Rewilding woodlands is similar, with areas often linked to meadows, ponds and wetlands, which helps bats, dormice, and warblers. Plants thrive in damp shady spots, birds fill the air with song and the wildlife comes back.
However, Reform UK policy is to give back all rewilding land to farms, which will disturb wildlife corridors, so less linking will mean many native species won’t be able to survive.
Leave deadwood and fallen logs
Just like leaving fallen logs in the garden, deadwood and logs in parks and forests are best left, as they provide nature and wildlife hiding places for creatures like hedgehogs.
Beetles and ants hide under bark, birds and frogs rest or nest below hollow logs, and woodpeckers dig holes to find bugs. Plants grow on fallen wood and return nutrients to the soil.
Logs and deadwood also help to keep the ground damp by holding moisture, even in dry weather. They also slow down rain, to stop soil from washing away.
Woodland corridors and linking habitats
Woodland corridors are wide strips of trees and plants that link woods or forests. These help animals move from one place to another. If woods and forests are spread apart, animals can get stuck in small spaces.s
This has happened with hedgehogs (the clue’s in the name!) In nature, nocturnal hedgehogs roam up to 2 miles each night, sheltering in hedges during the day. But due to a lack of wildlife corridors, that’s why you see so many on roads, and they need ‘hedgehog highways’ to move between gardens.
Again, if Reform UK ends rewilding projects, there may be woods and parks, but the wildlife corridors will be reverted to farmland, and many endangered species could go extinct.
Wildlife corridors give creatures safe way to move between spaces (birds, foxes). They find better food and stay safer, and animals also carry seeds through these corridors, which helps ecosystems.
We need affordable homes. But present Labour policy is to relax planning laws, and build on areas close to wildlife. This will break wildlife corridors and then wildlife won’t be able to survive.
Avoid chemicals and light pollution
At night, keep outdoor lights low or off, as many creatures (including bats, moths, and owls) need darkness to thrive. This also helps to stop birds flying into windows.
Chemicals like bug sprays or weed killers can make animals sick. They can even make water and soil dirty, which hurts the places where animals live. Some birds, frogs and bugs are very sensitive. When chemicals get into their home, they can’t always recover.
Read our posts on:
Help community woodland projectsProjects
Join or support conservation groups in your area. Volunteers can plant trees and hedges, clear rubbish and create safe walking paths, to avoid disturbing wildlife. Well done, you!
Community wood recyclers take unwanted wood, and use it to make furniture and gifts or turn scrap wood into kindling to sell at low cost to support other projects.
This provides jobs, and saves trees! England has less forest than most European countries (only a petition by 38 Degrees during Cameron’s government stopped remaining forests being sold off – it later admitted a mass error of judgement).
Years ago, England was covered in forests. But today we have just 13% coverage, and most new food is made for furniture or street furniture (like park benches).
England (after China) is the second largest importer of wood for industry (not local and also emits greenhouse gases from transport).
Yet the UK generates around 4.5 tons of waste wood each year (mostly from the building industry which is easily reused). Environmental Protection Agency says this could offer us a billion feet of lumber each year.
One company in Portland (USA) has staff who ‘deconstruct’ old houses and barns to rescue lumber, sold as planks to industry. You can do the same for decommissioned ships!
If using reclaimed plant pots, learn how to pet-friendly gardens and wildlife-friendly gardens. Avoid facing indoor foliage to outdoor gardens, to help stop bird strike.
Where to buy recycled wood furniture
Enter your postcode at Reuse network, to direct you to local social enterprises that offer donated safe furniture like sofas and dining room furniture. You usually have to be on benefits, though sometimes you can buy without them, you just pay a little more to support the cause.
Brighton and Hove Wood Recycling Project was founded by a man who found some old wood while building a playhouse for his daughter, and was shocked to find how much good wood was being incinerated.
So he secured funding for a franchise model and now there are 28 similar projects nationwide, which collectively reuse over 20,000 tons of wood each year.
People who have 12 cubic yards of wood can call up to arrange collection, which saves money over a skip (wood is packed by hand to save space).
Why should we use reclaimed wood?
Bamboo is often touted as the ‘fast-growing alternative to wood’ (trees take 30 to 40 years to harvest). But this still needs to be shipped from China. And ‘fast-growing tree plantations’ usually use chemicals, don’t support native wildlife and don’t soak up rain to prevent floods.
The demand for new wood also increases demand for illegal wood (as opposed to FSC-certified wood which is running out, due to massive demand). And ‘conflict wood’ is sold to fund wars.
Yet of 16 million tons of wood waste created worldwide each year, only around 15% is recycled. The rest ends up at landfill where it even creates fire hazards as well as pollution (especially if painted).
Yet recycled plain wood is durable (less moisture content than fresh wood) and cheaper. And even ‘old wood’ can provide cheap energy for older homes (for wood-burning stoves etc).
How to recycle unwanted wood
Most councils won’t collect wood for recycling nor accept it in recycling bins, because it needs special treatment. Councils that collect wood just turn it into chips to sell on.
If you have ‘clean wood’ (not painted, stained and free from glue and preservatives), you can sell it to industry or have it collected by wood recycling organisations.
Most accept pallets and low-grade wood, at no cost to you. Wood for recycling is usually graded as follows:
- Grade A is clean wood (including pallets)
- Grade B is from the building & demolition industry
- Grade C includes other usable wood
- Grade D (treated/painted wood, fence posts, decking etc).
Grades A & B wood is made into others items including wooden planks. Grade C wood is turned into fuel, and Grade D wood is hazardous waste, and can’t be recycled.
This is why it’s good not to paint old wood, because you can never recycle it – it turns biodegradable wood into trash that languishes at landfills. Also don’t burn painted wood due to toxins.
If you want to stain wood, use LifeTime Wood Treatment (sold in the UK). This Canadian product is nontoxic and ensures you can safely recycle wood at end of use. In powder form, you mix with water, and store leftovers.
How to use reclaimed wood
- Before you begin a project, prepare your wood properly. Clean it to remove dust and debris. Sand the surface to smooth out imperfections and highlight the natural grain.
- Finish by treating the wood with natural wood stain to protect it and enhance its appearance. Proper preparation makes your end product not only look good but last longer.
- Always inspect your wood for hidden nails, chemicals, or mould. These can be hazardous during the crafting process.
- Use a metal detector to ensure all nails and screws are removed. If mould is present, see if it can be safely removed; otherwise, consider alternative pieces.
- Equip yourself with the right protective gear. Safety glasses shield your eyes from flying particles.
- Masks prevent inhalation of dust and any potentially harmful chemicals. Gloves protect your hands from splinters and sharp edges. Suiting up keeps you safe as you bring your rustic ideas to life.
Reclaimed wood pallets
The other big source of reclaimed wood is pallets. These are often free or cheap to buy. Once nails are removed, they can made into new items (as long as they are not covered in toxic paint).
Making anything from reclaimed wood uses around 13 times less energy than producing new.
