National Forest for Wales Status Scheme

A dedicated team of National Forest woodland liaison officers has been put in place to help facilitate and enable woodland owners with their ambitions to create and enhance woodlands and develop the National Forest for Wales network.

There are six liaison officers based across Wales.

The team will facilitate and enable woodland owners with their ambitions to create and enhance woodlands in accordance with the National Forest outcomes and help to bring woodlands into the National Forest for Wales Network via the status scheme.

Guidance has also been put in place to help support you with the application process.

Please note that applicants will need to meet with their National Forest for Wales liaison officer in advance of submitting an application form, who will be able to provide advice on the process.

To get in touch with your liaison officer, or if you have any queries please contact:

Nationalforestwalesstatus@naturalresources.wales

Since the scheme opened in June 2023, we have welcomed over 60 new woodlands to the National Forest network via our status scheme – Llongyfarchiadau to all of the woodland owners!

We look forward to welcoming many more woodlands to the network. 

March 2025 update

On the 24 March  we were delighted to welcome another 5 woodlands to the National Forest for Wales network.

Including our forests from the Welsh Government Woodland Estate, there are now nearly 90 woodlands covering  68 723 hectares in the network – ranging from community managed woodlands to local authority and Woodland Trust sites.  

Joining our woodlands in the south, we have Tregib community woodland, which was created in 2022-2023 using the Welsh Government Woodland Creation scheme. A number of pathways connect these sites to the neighbouring Woodland Trust site, supported through the WG Local Places for Nature Grant.

Designed to be biodiverse native broadleaf woodland, this site offers conservation grazing areas as well as the potential for amenities. The local community have been involved in planting the site and it is now a well-used and much loved resource.

In the North, we have Park in the Past, a unique community and heritage project which is being transformed from an abandoned quarry in to a thriving woodland, archaeological and cultural hub.

With the local community at the heart of the vision for this woodland, groups such as the Scouting Association, and Canoe, Swimming and Triathlon clubs, all use this site on a regular basis.

The woodland is rich in biodiversity, with many protected and priority species, and  provides a valuable resource for the community and visitors to enjoy, with a number of accessible pathways.

You can find a list of the sites below:

November 2024 update

On the 15 November we were delighted to welcome 18 new sites in to the National Forest for Wales network, in what was the largest round of applications we’ve had to date.

This means we now have 55 Status Scheme Sites as part of the National Forest for Wales, covering over 3600 hectares.

The 18 new woodlands offer a range of unique benefits - from protected areas that provide important habitat for our wildlife, to those that offer valuable green spaces for people to enjoy.

In the south we have Strawberry Cottage Wood, an ancient oak woodland managed by Gwent Wildlife Trust. Also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) this woodland is rich in biodiversity and is home to several notable species. The trust has regular volunteer parties working in the woods and the site is well used by the local community.

In mid Wales we have the woodlands at the Centre of Alternative Technology, an Ancient Semi Natural Woodland, managed by the environmental charity Centre of Alternative Technology

Coed Gwern has been transformed from a conifer plantation into a resilient, diverse native woodland using Low Impact Silvicultural Systems. Timber harvested from the woodland is used in teaching green building techniques and onsite construction, and  the site is accessible to the public and supports over 50,000 visitors and 3,000 learners annually.

The new sites also receive National Forest Signage which has been made by Merthyr Tydfil Institute for the Blind, who have made the signs from Welsh wood which was felled and processed in Wales.

You can find a list of the new sites below:

Find out more about the scheme and how to apply here:

National Forest for Wales: woodland sites | GOV.WALES

There is funding available via different options to help sites meet the National Forest for Wales Outcomes or enhance National Forest for Wales sites, the team can help advise you on the relevant schemes and support applications to the Woodland Investment Grant (TWIG) or Coetiroedd Bach.