A petition calling on Forestry England to fulfil its commitment to bring back the nation’s “ghost woods” – ancient woodland sites felled and replaced by timber plantations in the 20th century - has been signed by 100,000 members of the public. The milestone has been reached less than three weeks after the launch of the petition, which is backed by Oscar-winning actress and nature-lover Dame Judi Dench.

The swell of support follows an investigation by grassroots campaign group Wild Card, that found that Forestry England (the body responsible for managing and promoting publicly owned forests in England) is so far behind on government woodland restoration targets that it is set to meet them more than 80 years later than promised.

Though committed to restoring the 100,000 acres of land under their management, Forestry England’s slow progress means that the remaining fragments of ancient woodlands, smothered under their fast-growing timber plantations, will disappear if urgent action isn’t taken.

Poppy Silk, Campaigner at Wild Card, said:

“The public have spoken, they are sending a clear message that England’s Ghost Woods must be brought back to life before it’s too late. Along with more than 100,000 people that have signed the petition so far, we have seen the public turn out across the country to call on their local Forestry England officers to fulfil their promise."

“We know that Forestry England needs greater support from DEFRA to turn their sterile plantations into woodlands teeming with life. DEFRA now needs to heed the wishes of people across the country and provide the financial backing that is needed.”

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Last week Wild Card joined forces with environmentalists including Youngwilders and author James Canton, to host a series of “ghost hunt” events in forests and plantations from Cornwall to Yorkshire. Driven by the passion of local groups for their ancient woodlands, the gatherings sought to raise awareness of the suppression of our ancient forests and call on local Forestry England officers to accelerate their restoration.

Wild Card teamed up with Dame Judi Dench and people-powered campaign group 38 Degrees to launch the petition less than three weeks ago. Matthew McGregor, CEO at 38 Degrees, said:

“This 38 Degrees petition has galvanised over a hundred thousand members of the public so quickly because it is an issue which so many of us can relate to: they care deeply about their local green spaces and woodlands. 38 Degrees is proud to help people demand a safer, greener, clean environment for communities all across the UK.”

The call follows an alarming new report from the Woodland Trust, which found that woodland biodiversity is continuing to decline and that only 9% of England’s forests are in a favourable condition. As one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, restoring ancient woodland, which supports more biodiversity than any other land-based habitat in the UK, has never been so critical.

In 2022, DEFRA set a new national target to restore or start the restoration of the majority of ancient woodlands covered with plantations by 2030, following a missed initial target of 2020. However, according to detailed analysis published by Wild Card, at the current rate of progress Forestry England won’t be able to deliver on this target until 2111, over 80 years late.

The campaigners acknowledge that whilst restoration is best done sensitively over many years, native species are running out of time. Historic delays and failures mean that there is now an urgent need to start restoring all of their plantations before it is too late. Wild Card argues that the agency needs to publish clear data on what is already being done, and a fully funded detailed plan on how this will be achieved, which allows their progress to be held publicly accountable. If reached, an area of native forest the size of the Isle of Wight could be created.

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