‘Therapy of the Green Leaf’: Public Responses to the Provision of Forest and Woodland Recreation in Twentieth Century Britain

Abstract

This paper examines the largely unexplored formative years in the development of forest and woodland recreation in Britain during the twentieth century, with a particular focus from 1940 to 1970, when many of the institutional and infrastructural developments were made by both public and private sectors, laying the foundations for modern mass recreation. The paper is founded on archival research in public and private archival holdings. It makes a plea for greater recognition of the value of understanding the past, as contemporary policy makers plan for a sustainable future for British woods and forests. The paper reveals how the current balance required between the demands of people and nature is nothing new; it has a rich and complex history. The paper notes that after decades of public interest in forest and woodland recreation, public values and preferences are now being pushed to the fore in woodland management issues. How much public opinion will shape the sustainable future of our forests remains a controversial question.

Keywords:

• environmental management
• environmental history
• forest and woodland recreation
• Forestry Commission
• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the staff of the National Archives of Scotland (NAS) in Edinburgh for providing access to government papers and reports, and various staff members of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds across the UK who granted access to internal policy documents and visitor statistics, and provided verbal or written information. The author would also like to thank the late Professor Thea Sinclair, Professor Christine Ennew at TTRI, University of Nottingham, Professor T.C. Smout of the University of St Andrews, and two anonymous referees, who have commented upon earlier drafts of this paper.

Notes

1. The archives of the Forestry Commission are held in the National Archives of Scotland (NAS), Edinburgh at FC. The archives of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), are privately held at The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire.

2. Verderer – a former English judicial officer of forests with royal status.

3. A law relating only to a local area