New woodland near Okehampton in Devon
At Forestry England, we're creating a brand new woodland near Okehampton. Okement Wood will cover around 83 hectares and be planted with a mix of carefully selected tree species, including both broadleaf and conifer trees. As these trees grow, Okement Wood will become a valuable habitat for wildlife and an important carbon store. In time, it will also provide a future source of sustainable timber and become a new green space for you to explore and enjoy.
This isn't the only new woodland we're creating in this part of Devon. We’re also developing Fishleigh Wood, near Hatherleigh, just 8 miles away, and Quoditch, 12 miles away. All three sites are also a short drive away from our existing woodlands at Abbeyford Woods. Together, these sites will help create a stronger network of woodland cover across the landscape.
We want to hear from you!
A public consultation for Okement Wood is open from Monday 9 February until midnight on Friday 9 March. We're inviting local communities and businesses to view our draft designs for the new woodland and share their thoughts with us. This will help us shape the final designs for Okement Wood.
Our draft designs include an artist's impression of what the site might look like in 10 years' time and our response to some of the topics already raised by neighbouring properties, which include questions about wildlife and public access.
Wildlife at Okement Wood
Creating a new woodland in this part of Devon will help nature recover by increasing connectivity between existing woodlands in the area. This will make it easier for wildlife to move across the landscape and reverse past habitat fragmentation. Specifically, this new woodland will join up Abbeyford Woods and Berrydown Wood.
We'll also be creating varied habitats within the woodland to benefit a wide range of species. We'll be planting a mix of different tree species and creating areas of open spaces that could benefit species including the hazel dormouse, woodland birds, badgers, otters, bats, hedgehogs, common amphibians, and invertebrates.
Frequently asked questions about the new woodland
We'll carefully plan in detail the trees that will be planted in the new woodland. Using a mix of tree and shrub species will help make the wood resilient to climate change and tree diseases, whilst also supporting a wider range of wildlife.
We're in the early stages of creating our design for the new woodland. Public feedback and surveys will inform our detailed plans for it. Our aim is to create the new woodland over the next couple of years with initial planting beginning in winter 2026/27.
We will post key updates on this webpage as the project progresses.
