Growing the nation's forests
Dury Wood is a new Coronation Wood we're creating in Devon to commemorate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. The 56-hectare woodland is at Quoditch, near the village of Ashwater. It will take several years for the woodland to take shape, but in time, it will become a thriving home for wildlife, an important carbon store, and a new source of sustainable timber. It will also be open to the public once the new trees have established, giving local people a new green space to explore.
This is one of many new woodlands we're creating at Forestry England to help grow the nation's forests. The work has been made possible thanks to the government's Nature for Climate Fund programme.
Work in progress...
We started work on this new woodland in 2024. First, we carried out detailed surveys of the area to better understand its wildlife, soil conditions, and local environment. Later that year, we held a public consultation for our draft designs for the new woodland, and we invited local people to have their say.
Since then, work has progressed at Dury Wood, and in spring 2025, we finished planting the first saplings. It will take several years for the new woodland to take shape, and we will be carefully monitoring and managing the site as the trees grow.
New woodlands across Devon
Dury Wood isn’t the only new woodland we’re creating in the county. Since 2024, we have started work on five new woodlands: Dury Wood, Burriott Wood, Wagaford Wood, Okement Wood, and Fishleigh Wood. Together, these sites will bring a combined 357 hectares of new woodland to Devon, which is roughly 1.4 square miles.
As well as providing much-needed space for wildlife, storing carbon, and providing new sources of sustainable timber, these new woodlands will help connect green spaces in Devon, making it easier for wildlife to move across the landscape.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! Dury Wood will be open to the public and provide a quiet space for local people to enjoy and connect with nature. Once the woodland is established, we plan to dedicate it under the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act so that people can access and explore the site.
Note that there are currently no plans to create a car park or any visitor infrastructure. Local people will be able to access the new woodland using the network of existing footpaths in the area. Once there, they will be able to explore the site on foot using a series of unsurfaced grass routes that weave through the trees.
Dury Wood will be a productive woodland once the trees have grown to a suitable height. As part of our ongoing management, we will begin to remove some of the trees after about 20-25 years to provide a sustainable supply of timber and help the woodland to continue to grow healthily for many years to come. When done responsibly, tree felling can be good for the health of forests, as well as providing other benefits such as helping to tackle the climate crisis. For a sustainable future, we need to use more wood to replace fossil fuel intensive products, like plastic, and to lock up carbon.
Yes, we use tree guards where we need to, to protect young saplings that are extremely vulnerable to damage from deer and other wildlife. Wherever possible, we have used fencing instead so that only small areas require tree guards. Where we need to use tree guards, they will always be made from recyclable plastic.
