Alex Stone, chief executive, Forest of Avon Trust, said “The Forest of Avon is thrilled to have led a wonderfully diverse and engaged partnership to bring the Western Forest to life. This is about resource, funding and expertise coming directly to landowners, partners and communities, planting millions of trees in the right places. Together, we will enhance landscapes for all to enjoy, improving the lives of our 2.5 million residents and visitors to the region.”

Savita Willmott, Chief Executive of the Natural History Consortium, said “The new national forest will serve over 2.5 million local residents, and we will put people and wellbeing at the heart of our transformation plans. Our Western Forest will support communities across  our urban centres including Bristol, Bath and Swindon. Our priorities for improving access to nature will boost health as well provide thousands of opportunities for building green skills, volunteering, and supporting the regional economy in local areas. We can’t wait to get started!”

Rebecca Waite, CEO, Cotswolds National Landscape, said, “I’m delighted to see the launch of the new Western Forest across Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and the West of England. The forest will help us to deliver our own nature recovery and tree planting targets in the Cotswolds National Landscape, and we look forward to continuing to work together into the future. It’s encouraging to see habitat creation and restoration at a landscape scale – and being delivered in a coordinated way across such a large area. A win for people and nature across the region.”