Climate

Climate change is the term given to the long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns. Recent and near future climate change has been evidenced as being caused by human activities, mainly burning fossil fuels.

Since 2022, the New Forest has experienced record summer temperatures (2022), the wettest winter on record (2023/24), and one of the driest and hottest spring/summer periods on record (2025). We and our partners are working to improve understanding of the potential impacts of climate change locally, with a focus on the natural environment and the special qualities that distinguish the New Forest from other parts of lowland England.

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Our framework for action on climate change outlines our plan, as a National Park Authority (NPA), to drive forward the New Forest’s response to climate change beyond our organisational boundaries. This includes:

• Implementing nature-based solutions – We’re supporting the move to a low-carbon economy by ensuring land use and management follows sustainable practice and encourages more absorption and storage of carbon (sequestration). For example, through the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme, Farming in Protected Landscapes, and the Species Survival Fund.
• Establishing baseline data and evidence – It’s important to identify and fill knowledge gaps, helping us to understand more about the impacts of climate change and the opportunities for meaningful action here in the New Forest.
• Bringing people together to tackle climate change – We’re using the full range of the NPA’s skills and resources to encourage climate action at strategic, landscape and local community levels. We’re also pushing for policies to change and more partnerships.
• Activating communities – We’re providing communities with the skills, funding and opportunities to take climate action, share ideas and make a real difference.
• Increasing sustainable transport – We’re working with partners to unlock opportunities to reduce emissions from individuals’ and public transport.

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Each of us can make a difference with small changes to our daily lives and by making space for nature in our gardens and communities.

You could save water by installing a water butt and travel more sustainably to reduce your impact on local emissions. You can also make space for nature in your garden or community spaces, such as building a pond, or putting up bird and bat boxes.

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Across the New Forest, woodlands are being managed sustainably to improve habitats for wildlife, provide homegrown timber and to increase the proportion of native tree species, which are better suited for native wildlife. This ensures our woodlands are healthy and resilient.

Sometimes trees are removed to restore other habitats. Only 16% of heathland in lowland England present in 1800 still exists today and the New Forest National Park has the largest concentration of this ancient habitat. Restoring heathland in the New Forest involves removing plantations of non-native conifers from the historic heathland areas. Restoring the heathland habitat of the New Forest, which is the one of the best examples of heathland in Europe, is an example of expanding and connecting rare habitats to help them to be more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

Removing trees from these areas often also helps to restore peat, as they can then become wetter, absorbing and storing more carbon.

Tree planting across England is increasing. The relatively small amount of trees removed in the New Forest as part of the habitat restorations will not stop the overall increase in woodland cover planned in England over the coming years.

There are many places in the New Forest National Park where new native woodland could be planted as part of this national drive for woodland creation to support nature and provide homegrown timber as well as absorbing greenhouse gas emissions.

During winter and early spring, Forestry England staff deliberately burn areas of the open Forest to stop the heather and gorse getting too tall and old. These fires are well controlled and there are always trained firefighters on hand.

As heather becomes older, it becomes less tasty and nutritious for Commoners’ livestock. Burning small areas removes the older growth and allows the plants to regenerate afterwards.

The emissions associated with this burning are negligible and the process creates the conditions for heathland plants to regenerate and keep the rare New Forest habitats thriving. Controlled burning reduces wildfire risk which would release more carbon and cause widespread, long-lasting ecological damage.