Kielder Forest Turns to Conservation, Boosts Wildlife
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- Forestry Commission began planting Kielder Forest in 1926, creating a 60,000‑hectare plantation to boost timber reserves when woodland cover was only 5%.
- Tom Dearnley notes that Kielder supports ospreys, goshawks, kestrels, water voles, otters, and roughly half of England’s remaining red squirrels.
- Paul Pickett oversaw the construction of Kielder’s first osprey platform in 2008, which attracted a breeding pair in 2009—the first in Northumberland for 200 years.
- Mark Holroyd warns that climate change will increase forest pests and diseases, prompting Forestry England to diversify tree species at Kielder.
- Laura Shreeve plans a 6,000‑hectare “wild Kielder” zone and to trim forest edges along waterways to create wildlife corridors.
- Rowan Hickman has blocked more than 50,000 m of historic drainage to re‑wet peatland, protecting a carbon store larger than the forest’s trees.
- Forestry England aims to increase domestic timber supply from Kielder, reducing the UK’s 80% timber‑import reliance.
Why it matters: The shift gives Forestry England a model for resilient, climate‑smart timber production while delivering critical habitat for ospreys, red squirrels and other species, and preserving peatland that stores more carbon than the trees themselves. It also helps the UK cut its 80% timber‑import reliance, boosting domestic supply.
