UKH

Hardknott Forest is a 600 hectare conifer plantation in the upper reaches of the Duddon valley in the Lake District. It was planted in the 1930s after strong local opposition. Now, over 70 years later, the forest plantations are reaching maturity. After consultation with local people and organisations Forestry England has decided to restore the entire plantation into native habitats of oak and birch woodland, bogs and open ground. This initiative is a historic opportunity to create the largest semi-natural woodland in the Lake District, linking Hardknott Forest with the existing Duddon Valley Woodlands, a series of ancient oak woodlands that snake down the valley and all the way to the coast.