Nearly three-quarters of England’s forests are off-limits to the public, buried government documents show.
The study by Forest Research, which is a government-funded quango, found that 73% of English forests are inaccessible to the public.
The investigation also found that more than a third of trees in the Woodland Trust’s ancient tree inventory are inaccessible to the public.
Many forests are off-limits because they are used for commercial interests, such as pheasant hunting and timber plantations.
Centennial trees are those that are especially old for the species, some of them being more than 1,000 years old. The Woodland Trust has called for greater awareness of these beautiful plants, but a large number of them are found in areas that would require trespassing to visit.
Campaigners have called on the government to draw up a right to roam policy that allows people to walk in their local woodlands.
While in opposition, the Labor Party committed to a Scottish-style right to roam, under which anyone could walk through the countryside as long as they left no trace and did not disturb farmland. However, after being pressured by landowner groups, the party made a 180-degree turn.
Instead, the government announced it would create nine river walks and three national forests.
The Right to Roam campaign is planning a series of mass intrusions in woodlands across England during March and April. At these events, dozens of people gather to illegally hike and picnic on land that is typically off-limits to the public. Previous mass intrusions have taken place in forests owned by a duke, in reservoirs and in the grounds of the country house of a lord and former Conservative minister.
Activists are demanding that the government introduce a Right to Roam Bill to give the public responsible access in the countryside.
Guy Shrubsole of Right to Roam said: “If you go to the forest today, you’ll be in for a big surprise: most of them are closed to the public.
“It is appalling that three quarters of all England’s woods are inaccessible. Everyone loves trees, but thousands of woods are off-limits simply because of corporate logging interests or because a landowner uses their woods for pheasant shooting.
“We need the government to fix this by introducing a new right to roam bill in the next king’s speech in May, and giving people the right to walk in our own forests.”
Raids are planned across the country, including Suffolk, Norwich, West Yorkshire and Somerset.
The government’s goal is for everyone to live within a 15-minute walk of accessible blue or green spaces. There are currently parts of England where no one lives within a 15-minute walk of nature.
Campaigners have said government policies to deregulate housing and infrastructure planning could lead to an erosion in the amount of green space available, particularly for those in less advantaged urban areas.
The new legislation will allow property developers to build on once protected green spaces without having to replace the loss of nature in the surrounding area.
Lack of access to nature has crucial implications for physical and mental health. Recent studies show that living near parks or natural green spaces reduces anxiety and depression by approximately 20%.
In contrast, those living more than 800m from green space reported notably lower levels of wellbeing, particularly during Covid-19 lockdowns. There are therefore risks that the growing unaffordability of housing in nature-rich areas for younger homeowners may be deepening health inequalities.
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: “Our countryside and green spaces are a source of great national pride. This Government recognizes the importance of access to nature and is already taking steps to increase it.”
