Growing the nation's forests
We’re creating a new Coronation Wood at East Worth in Devon, to commemorate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. The 29-hectare woodland will be called Wagaford Wood and is at East Worth, near the village of Northlew. It will take several years for the woodland to take shape, but in time it will provide important benefits for wildlife and the climate, and it will also become a new source of sustainable British timber.
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…
The new woodland has been planted with tree species chosen to match local conditions and the changing climate. The first saplings were planted in winter 2024, with species including English oak, Scots pine, and wild cherry.
Since then, work has progressed at Wagaford Wood, and in spring 2025, we finished planting the first saplings. We will now carefully manage the site as the trees grow.
New woodlands across Devon
Wagaford Wood isn’t the only new woodland we’re creating in the county. Since 2024, we have started work on five new woodlands: Wagaford Wood, Burriott Wood, Dury 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
Wagaford 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.
