Trees

There are over 20 million trees in the Forest of Dean alone with a wide range of both deciduous and evergreen trees. Predominant is oak, both pedunculate and sessile. Beech is common and sweet chestnut has grown here for many centuries, as well as ash, birch and holly. Conifers include some Weymouth pine from 1781, Norway spruce, Douglas fir and larch.

There is a lovely article by BBC Countryfile on the wide variety of trees here and our guide to leaf peeping, the pursuit of enjoying the autumn colours also includes some interesting information about the trees of the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley and what to see where here.

The ancient Forest has changed many times over the centuries. In medieval times it was a royal hunting forest, before becoming a source of timber for the navy's Tudor warships. Read about its history here.

Listen to a soundscape of the Forest of Dean recorded by BBC Springwatch here.

The Cyril Hart Arboretum near Speech House also has over 200 species of trees.