National Forest for Wales reaches 90,000 hectares

The National Forest for Wales now covers over 90,000 hectares.

Recent additions Aberduna Hall in north-east Wales and Castle Wood in Carmarthenshire have added 24 hectares between them.

The National Forest now also includes 23 Coetiroedd Bach (Tiny Forests).

These sites will help support natures tackle the climate emergency, and support more people to spend time in green spaces.

The Coetiroedd Bach are small, tennis-court-sized plots created using the Miyawaki method of dense native tree planting.

Other new additions include another 20,000+ hectares of the Welsh Government Woodland Estate, including two areas managed by community groups at Crynant and Welcome to our Woods.

There are also two Covid-19 Commemorative Woodland sites – at Hafod y Bwch at the National Trust Cymru's Erddig Estate in Wrexham and Ynys Hywel near Caerphilly. These areas offer family and friends accessible places to remember those who they lost in the pandemic.

The Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change, Huw Irranca-Davies said: "90,000 hectares is a huge milestone for the National Forest for Wales on our journey towards creating a forest that extends from north to south.

"The National Forest is about more than just trees – it's about making sure more people can spend more time in nature and tackling the climate emergency."