There are plenty of autumnal colours at Savernake Forest to enjoy at the moment. 

A reminder that the toilets at Postern Hill will remain open until after the school half term before closing until April (ahead of the Easter holidays).

It’s pumpkin season! Please do not leave spent pumpkins in forests or woodlands as they can make some animals very poorly. Decomposing food waste can also attract pests and spread disease. Instead, perhaps look at using the leftovers for pumpkin soup, risotto dishes, or curries? If pumpkin really isn’t your thing, it can be disposed of in your food recycling container or composted at home. The high water content of pumpkin makes it a great composting material to add nitrogen and moisture to your compost bin.

We are reviewing all the responses submitted on the new West Woods & Collingbourne forest plan and make any changes, as necessary, to the final version of the plan.

This will be submitted for felling approval, which can take several weeks, but once completed the new published plan can be viewed on Forestry England’s website.

Wet ground conditions have paused timber harvesting in Savernake Forest until further notice. It’s important we protect the irreplaceable soils to avoid any unnecessary damage. Works will only resume once we are content that the ground has improved. We will share updates on our Facebook page: Savernake Forest – Forestry England.

We are also still waiting for a start date to thin trees at West Woods, Bedwyn Common, Cobham Frith, and Chisbury. Like Savernake, we will ensure ground damage is limited as much as possible.

Our team have been working hard to remove several unauthorised mountain bike jumps at the back of Postern Hill which are not permitted within the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). We have also put up signs explaining why this isn’t allowed to prevent this happening again. We ask the public to report sightings of any illegal digging to us.

We are now in shooting season so you may see more birds in Savernake Forest and hear gunshots. Please adhere to any safety signage. For more information about this, please contact the Estate via Strutt & Parker.

If you have any questions about Forestry England’s work in Savernake Forest, please drop us a line to westengland@forestryengland.uk .

by Nikki Morgans, Area Forester