Countryfile

Forests (29x14)

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In this programme the focus is on our forests. Matt is in the New Forest taking part in the biggest inventory of our trees ever undertaken. He also takes to the heights with climbers from the Forestry Commission as they undertake a wildlife survey high in the treetops. Ellie is up in Inverness-shire seeing what industrial-scale timber production looks like. She also looks at new scientific research that shows the impact of forestry activities on native red squirrels. Sean is in Stirlingshire exploring the Scottish tradition of hutting, and he hears about the part these houses in the woods played during the Clydebank Blitz during World War II. John is in Kent looking at the revival of working with horses in forests and learns that it is because they are less damaging to the environment than machines. He also meets the top-rated artist whose magnificent woodcuts of forests capture perfectly the spirit of these magic places. In a step away from the woodlands, Adam meets the farmer who has found a new market for his male goats due to the rising demand for goat meat. Charlotte Smith is looking at claims that across the country we are not planting enough trees and what that might mean for the UK's timber industry.