News

 

Status Quo Announce Summer Show	One of Britain's best loved bands has announced a South-East date for next Summer. The legendary Status Quo will be appearing at Bedgebury National Pinetum & Forest, near Goudhurst, Kent as part of the Forestry Commission’s summer concert season. - 15/12/2008
Every Dog Has Its Day At Westonbirt!	It’s doggie heaven at Westonbirt Arboretum on 21 and 22 February. - 15/12/2008
Mcfly To The Woods	The superb McFly have announced a trio of dates next Summer when they will be performing in fantastic woodland locations as part of the Forestry Commission’s annual live music series. - 08/12/2008
Bedgebury Beats The Recession With Half-Price Wednesdays	As a recession-busting bonus, Bedgebury Forest in Kent is offering a Half Price Wednesday offer from the beginning of January till the end of March (excluding February half term), with an admission price per car of only £3.50, plus discounts on cycle hire and refreshments. - 01/12/2008
Opera Diva Katherine Jenkins Announces Summer Shows	Following two sell-out forest concerts this year, classical superstar Katherine Jenkins has announced she will be performing further woodland dates next Summer as part of the Forestry Commission’s 2009 live music programme. - 24/11/2008
Virtuoso Vanessa-Mae Announces Summer Show At Westonbirt Arboretum	Vanessa-Mae, the world famous violin virtuoso, has announced a West Country date next summer when she will be appearing at Westonbirt Arboretum as part of the Forestry Commission’s 2009 concert season. - 24/11/2008
Westonbirt Pressies Aren't Just For Christmas	Stuck for original present ideas this Christmas? Take a trip to Westonbirt - The National Arboretum and discover unique and unusual gifts that will give pleasure for years, not just for Christmas. - 10/11/2008
Westonbirt On Red Alert For Autumn	Autumn has arrived at Westonbirt Arboretum. As the days get shorter, this national arboretum is on ‘red alert’ for its world-famous seasonal spectacle, and over the next few weeks the trees will be at their very best. - 13/10/2008
The Big Draw At Bedgebury 2008	Bedgebury National Pinetum & Forest (managed by the Forestry Commission) is delighted to be taking part in The Big Draw for the fourth year running. Bedgebury will be hosting an all day event during half term on Tuesday 28th October; an ideal opportunity for children, families and individuals to get back in touch with their artistic tendencies. - 03/10/2008
Westonbirt’S World-Famous Maples Must Adapt To Climate Change	At the PlantNetwork Conference ‘Climate Change and Planting for the Future’ today (11 September), Dr Richard Jinks of Forest Research – the Forestry Commission’s Research Agency outlines how the Commission is embarking on a full-scale plan to ensure that the world-famous collection of Japanese maples at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum not only weathers climate changes but also thrives in the future. - 11/09/2008
Will We Be Awash With Colour?	With the amount of rain that's fallen throughout August, are we in line for water colours rather than autumn colours this year? Let's hope not. - 01/09/2008
Westonbirt Brightens Those Darker Days	Don't worry about the nights drawing in this autumn and winter. Westonbirt ­Arboretum will be bathed in light and colour! Autumn and winter are magical seasons at the Forestry Commission’s national arboretum with blazing red maples, fascinating fungal forays and the hugely popular, illuminated ‘Enchanted Christmas’ trail. - 28/07/2008
Westonbirt Raises The Roof	- 24/07/2008
Westonbirt Set To Be Ablaze With Colour This Autumn	New England or Old England? Why fly halfway round the world and clock up those air miles when one of the world’s finest autumn spectacles is on the doorstep at Westonbirt The National Arboretum in Gloucestershire. - 16/07/2008
Westonbirt Arboretum Reveals Its Playful Nature	Walk the plank, jump over crocodile-infested waters, build a secret den … from this summer children can let their imaginations run wild in new natural play areas hidden among the trees at Westonbirt The National Arboretum. - 18/06/2008
Westonbirt Gets Ready To Rock!	The production crew for the Forestry Commission’s 2008 forest tour will be moving on site early next week in preparation for the forthcoming concerts at Westonbirt - The National Arboretum. Around 30 production and forest staff will be responsible for turning the open recreational space into the concert arena, increasing to a team of over 100 over the weekend. - 13/06/2008
Westonbirt Arboretum Honours Its Army Of Volunteers	Two young redwood trees will be planted to honour the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and celebrate a new Maple Loop walk at the Forestry Commission’s National Arboretum at Westonbirt - 29/05/2008
Westonbirt Festival Of The Tree Spreads Its Roots	Since taking root at Westonbirt the National Arboretum 10 years ago, the celebrated Festival of the Tree has blossomed. And for one week this summer, from 18-25 August, it’s set to draw more people than ever - 19/05/2008
Forests Strike The Right Note	Concerts in English forests by international acts including KT Tunstall, Status Quo and Crowded House this summer aim to raise thousand of pounds to support the woodlands as well as entertaining more than 100,000 people. - 14/05/2008
Summer Days At Westonbirt Arboretum	Summer’s coming and events are hotting up at Westonbirt the National Arboretum. - 12/05/2008
Westonbirt Blooms On Its Wilder Side	Spring is in full bloom at Westonbirt Arboretum. Traditionally May is the month for cherry blossom, azaleas and rhododendrons at the National Arboretum, but take a walk on the wilder side and uncover its best-kept spring secret carpets of bluebells. - 01/05/2008
Zutons New Album And Single - See The Band In The Forest This Summer	New album: You Can Do Anything (June 2nd) Single: Always Right behind You (May 26th) - 14/04/2008
Rare Rhododendrons Set To Be The Stars Of Westonbirt This Spring	Visitors to the National Arboretum, Westonbirt this spring are in for a rare treat. A recent study of the rhododendron collection has revealed previously unidentified specimens that were introduced by the great Victorian plant hunters. - 14/04/2008
First Ever National Beanpole Week	The first ever National Beanpole Week starts on Saturday 19th April. Organisers aim to help reverse the drastic decline of Britain’s coppiced woodlands - 03/04/2008
Go Online Then Go Outside In South West England!	Residents in the South West of England think providing habitats for wildlife is the most important benefit forests bring. And now it is even easier for people to get out and see the wildlife that lives in the region’s woodlands thanks to a new regional Forestry Commission website launched today . - 01/04/2008
Katherine Jenkins Forest Tour Special Guest Announced	Classical / pop crossover act, Blake, has been announced as special guest at Katherine Jenkins forest tour dates this summer. The classically trained foursome's debut album 'Blake' was released in November 07 and immediately went to Number 1 in the UK Classical Album Chart and Top 20 in the UK pop album chart. - 06/03/2008
The Zutons Announce Summer Forest Tour	Seven massive outdoor shows - June 5 to June 28 2008 - 18/02/2008
Crowded House In A Forest!	Crowded House have announced they will be following up last December’s sold out UK arena dates with a further UK and European tour this Summer including playing several shows as part of the Forestry Commission’s annual forest tour. - 04/02/2008
Shakespeare In The Forest	The British Shakespeare Touring Company will be holding an open-air evening performance of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM in the Glenbervie Meadow at Alice Holt Forest at 7.30pm on Sat 19 July 2008. - 31/01/2008
Unleash The Dog Lover In You At The National Arboretum, Westonbirt	Cotswold-based author Jilly Cooper will be making a special appearance as a celebrity judge at Dog Days at The National Arboretum, Westonbirt in February. - 10/01/2008
Jools Holland Annouces Summer Concerts	Jools Holland will be appearing at Bedgebury Forest in Kent and Westonbirt Arboretum in Glouscestershire - 09/01/2008
Jools Holland Announces Summer Show At Bedgebury	Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, featuring Marc Almond as special guest vocalist, with Gilson Lavis and guest vocalists Ruby Turner and Louise Marshall, has announced a summer concert at Bedgebury Pinetum & Forest, near Goudhurst, Kent. - 07/01/2008
Status Quo Announce Summer Show At Westonbirt	One of Britain's best loved bands has announced a West Country date for next Summer. The legendary Status Quo will be appearing at The National Arboretum, Westonbirt, Gloucestershire, as part of the Forestry Commission's Annual Forest Tour. - 11/12/2007
Westonbirt Lights Up For An Enchanted Christmas	After the amazing natural wonder of autumn colour at the National Arboretum, Westonbirt it’s time for the trees to take centre stage again for the Enchanted Wood. - 10/12/2007
Jools Holland Announces Summer Concert	Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, featuring Gilson Lavis and guest vocalists Ruby Turner and Louise Marshall, has announced 2008 Summer concerts at The National Arboretum, Westonbirt - 03/12/2007
Opera Diva Katherine Jenkins Announces Summer Shows	Classical superstar, Katherine Jenkins, has announced she will be appearing as part of The Forestry Commission’s 2008 Forest Tours next Summer - 19/11/2007
Great Storm Remembered	The Forestry Commission remembers the Great Storm which struck the south east 20 years ago - 15/10/2007
Westonbirt's Tree Experts Notice Shift In Autumn Colour Peak	Autumn colour at the National Arboreta, Westonbirt - recently ranked in the world’s top 30 unmissable spectacles by the Sunday Times Travel Magazine - is expected to arrive early this year as a result of one of the wettest summers on record. - 01/10/2007
Dig, Dig, Dig! - Scouts’ Centenary Planting At Bedgebury	Local Scouts, Cubs and Beavers will be teaming up with Bedgebury National Pinetum in Kent and the Woodland Trust, to plant hundreds of rare trees on Saturday 6th October, to coincide with National Conifer Week. - 24/09/2007
Biblins Youth Get The Shelter They Need	Students learning traditional carpentry from Henry Russell of BBC-TV's "What Did the Romans Do for Us?" programme have been helping to complete a new camping barn at Biblins Youth Camp site in Herefordshire. - 14/09/2007
Don't Miss Out On Gold	With all the debate about whether or not autumn will be early this year, the only way to make sure you don't miss this annual riot of colour is to keep checking the Forestry Commission's website (www.forestry.gov.uk/autumn). - 14/09/2007
Sculptree Auction Stumps Up Spectacular New Records	Visitor numbers for the festival of the Tree at the National Arboretum, Westonbirt, were at an all-time high, with nearly 25,000 people attending. - 29/08/2007
Power Of Nature Gives Offenders A Helping Hand	The Forestry Commission received a prestigious award yesterday in recognition of its work to harness the power of nature to benefit offenders. - 25/07/2007
Branch Out At Westonbirt's Festival Of The Tree	The world’s leading wood sculptors will be joining forces with artisans and enthusiasts to ensure that this summer’s Festival of the Tree at the National Arboretum, Westonbirt shapes up to be another fantastic event. - 24/07/2007
Victorian Plant Labels Unearthed At Westonbirt	More than 100 plant labels dating back to the 1800s have been unearthed in the one of the oldest parts of the National Arboretum, Westonbirt. - 24/07/2007
Tree-Mendous New Play Area Opens At The National Arboretum, Westonbirt	A new play area for under-fives opens at the National Arboretum, Westonbirt - 24/07/2007
Westonbirt Concerts Play On	The Forestry Commission have confirmed that the concerts tonight and tomorrow night (Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 July) at Westonbirt Arboretum WILL go ahead. - 21/07/2007
Jools Holland's Westonbirt Concert Cancelled Due To Weather	The Forestry Commission have announced that due to the extreme weather conditions and the amount of rainfall within the last few hours, tonight's concert by Jools Holland at Westonbirt Arboretum has been cancelled. - 20/07/2007
Forests For All Our Futures	The Forestry Commission in South West England holds a seminar on the impact of climate change on the region's forests - 03/07/2007
History Star Teaches Traditional Timber Skills	Woodwork fans are invited to sign up for a traditional carpentry course, led by Henry Russell of ‘What the Romans Did For Us’ fame, and help to spruce up a Forest of Dean youth campsite. - 27/06/2007
It's A Bugs Life At Bedgebury	National Insect Week comes to Bedgebury in Kent - 08/06/2007
Guiding The Way At Westonbirt	Meet John Todd, one of the volunteer guides who help visitors get the most from the Forestry Commission's National Arboretum at Westonbirt, Gloucestershire. - 25/05/2007
Swing Through The Trees And Go Ape!	The award winning Go Ape High Wire Forest Adventure is opening its family activity in Forestry Commission Scotland’s Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, near Aberfoyle, Stirlingshire on 26 May. - 23/05/2007
South East Is First Region To Map Greenspace For People	In an innovative report the Forestry Commission and Natural England have mapped and measured all the countryside in the South East of England which is open to the public. The report shows that overall, nearly 140,000 hectares is available for us all to enjoy, and that almost 60% of that is accesible woodland. - 19/03/2007
Children's Easter Fun At Bedgebury	Children and parents in search of a fun outdoor activity for the Easter Holidays need look no further than Bedgebury, Kent - 16/03/2007
M People To Play Forest Tour Shows	M People, the clubland favourites that went on to become one of the most successful UK dance acts ever, will be appearing at four picturesque forest locations this summer as part of the Forestry Commission’s annual ‘Forest Tour’. - 07/03/2007
James Morrison To Play Forest Tour	British Male Solo Artist winner at the Brit Awards 2007, James Morrison, has announced he will be appearing at Cannock Chase Forest, Staffordshire, this summer as part of the Forestry Commission’s annual ‘Forest Tour’ - 06/03/2007
The Feeling Are Off To The Forests	Brit Award nominees for best British Single The Feeling has announced another special forest show as part of the Forestry Commission’s annual ‘Forest Tour’. The Feeling will be playing High Lodge, Thetford Forest, Nr Brandon, Suffolk on Thursday 12th July. - 05/03/2007
Travis Confirm Dates As Part Of Forest Tour 2007	The Forestry Commission has confirmed that Travis will be including 5 forest dates in their May/June UK Tour announced today. The concerts will form part of the Forestry Commission's 2007 Forest Tour. - 26/02/2007
Forestry Commission Is Top Dog	2007 is the Year of the Dog at Forestry Commission England, with a major focus on making forests and woodlands as welcoming as possible for man’s best friend. - 20/02/2007
Dog Days Success	More than 6,000 dog lovers attend Westonbirt's Dog Days event on 17 and 18 February - 20/02/2007
James Morrison To Play Forest Tour	British Male Solo Artist winner at the Brit Awards 2007, James Morrison, has announced he will be appearing at 5 stunning forest locations this summer as part of the Forestry Commission’s annual ‘Forest Tour’. - 19/02/2007
A Gardener's World At Westonbirt	Garden enthusiasts will discover much more than glorious spring colour if they visit the National Arboretum, Westonbirt during the first week of May. A diverse programme of walks, talks and workshops hosted by experts and garden owners is planned alongside an exhibition to celebrate the launch of a unique new DVD and book titled 'The Heart of a Garden'. - 13/02/2007
"The Feeling" Are Off To The Forests	Brit Award nominees for best British Single The Feeling have announced 3 special forest shows in June as part of the Forestry Commission’s annual ‘Forest Tour’. The bands forest jaunt will be supporting the Forestry Commission’s valuable social and environmental programmes. - 12/02/2007
Forestry Commission Award From The Kennel Club	The Forestry Commission has received a Special Recognition Award from the Kennel Club for their "positive impact to help improve the lives of dogs and their owners". - 02/02/2007
National Nest Box Week At Bedgebury	As part of the British Trust for Ornithology’s National Nest Box Week, Bedgebury’s education team is running three sessions to connect young people with birds at Bedgebury in Kent. - 23/01/2007
Showing The Pedigree In Every Kind Of Dog	Calling all dog lovers! Take part in the Scruffts dog show, meet a wolf and buy doggie treats at the Dog Days weekend at Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire on February 17 and 18 - 09/01/2007
Market Looking Good For English Hardwood	Good quality English oak and other home-produced timber made big gains at a recent hardwood timber auction. - 22/12/2006
Jools Holland Announces Summer Concert	Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra featuring Gilson Lavis and guest vocalist Ruby Turner make a welcome return to The National Arboretum, Westonbirt, next Summer. - 12/12/2006
Royal Engagement At The National Arboretum	Following this year's fabulous performance to a capacity crowd, The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra will be back at The National Arboretum, Westonbirt, in 2007! The booking is the first confirmed date as part of the venue's celebrated summer concert season. - 07/12/2006
Forestry Commission Scientists Boost Hopes For Endangered South American Tree	Forestry Commission scientists have helped to crack a secret that might help to conserve a South American tree species that is at risk of extinction in the wild. - 14/11/2006
Glorious Autumn Colour At Bedgebury	Autumn is a glorious time of year for a walk down Dallimore Valley in the National Pinetum at Bedgebury (managed by the Forestry Commission). - 11/10/2006
Gold Set To Hit All-Time High This Autumn	Gold may be set to reach an all-time high in many parts of Britain this autumn according to experts at the Forestry Commission. Our autumn colours experts believe the long hot spell this summer will affect the richness of colour when trees begin their preparation for winter and reveal their autumn hues. - 13/09/2006
Family Events At Westonbirt This Autumn	Fun for all the family at Westonbirt National Arboretum this autumn - 05/09/2006
Hot Summer Predicted To Bring American Colour To Westonbirt	Experts at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, are predicting a spectacular autumn show following one of the hottest summers on record. - 05/09/2006
Forests Of Fun To Keep Children Active During Summer Holiday	‘I’m bored!’ It’s a familiar cry from children during the long summer break – but the Forestry Commission’s Active Woods campaign aims to put a stop to humdrum holidays - 03/08/2006
Make Your Mark At Westonbirt Arboretum’S Festival Of The Tree	Carving initials into tree trunks is not usually encouraged, but visitors to Westonbirt National Arboretum’s Festival of the Tree in August will be able to leave their mark on a special wood sculpture, which is being carved to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Forestry Commission’s management of the famous arboretum. - 15/06/2006
Cannock Chase Concerts To Go Ahead	The Forestry Commission today confirmed that the Embrace and UB40 concerts planned for the Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 June respectively would be going ahead - 08/05/2006
Forestry At The Heart Of Biomass Response	The Forestry Commission welcomes the announcement by DTI and Defra of the Government’s response to the Biomass Task Force report, and the role for the Commission in developing the biomass industry - 27/04/2006
Survey Highlights “Stress-Busting” Qualities Of English Woodlands, As Commission Brings People Of London Closer To Wildlife	Coming closer to wildlife and escaping the stresses of modern day life have been cited as the main reason that people in London visit a woodland - 25/04/2006
Haldon Forest Park	A major grant from Sport England has enabled the Forestry Commission to turn the 3500-acre Haldon Forest on a high ridge on the outskirts of Exeter into a pioneering outdoor activity centre for all ages and abilities to enjoy. Haldon Forest Park will open on 1 April. - 30/01/2006
Cycling In A World Of Trees	The franchisee that will run the cycling services at the new Visitor Centre at Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest in Kent from spring 2006 has been announced. - 24/01/2006
Ub40 Announce Summer Forest Shows	UB40 have today announced they will be out in the woods this summer as part of the Forestry Commission's Annual Forest Tour! - 17/01/2006
Royals To Kick Start Westonbirt's Anniversary Celebrations	HRH The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will visit Westonbirt, the National Arboretum, on 30th January on a joint official visit that marks the start of the anniversary year for the National Arboretum and the end of the centenary celebrations for Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland. - 17/01/2006