Editing Sherwood Forest (section)

==Management and conservation==
[[Image:Sherwood forest park.JPG|thumb|left|upright|View of the Forest looking northeast]]

The Sherwood Forest Trust is a small [[Charitable organization|charity]] that covers the ancient royal boundary and current [[national character area]] of Sherwood Forest.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sherwoodforest.org.uk/|title=Home - The Sherwood Forest Trust Nottinghamshire|work=The Sherwood Forest Trust Nottinghamshire|access-date=14 June 2014|archive-date=24 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824035538/http://sherwoodforest.org.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref> Its aims are based on conservation, heritage and communities but also include tourism and the economy.

[[Image:Sherwood Forest - panoramio (3).jpg|300px|thumb|Sherwood Forest]]

Nottinghamshire County Council and [[Forestry England]] jointly manage the ancient remnant of forest north of the village of Edwinstowe, providing walks, footpaths and a host of other activities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/enjoying/countryside/countryparks/sherwood/|title=Sherwood Forest|work=nottinghamshire.gov.uk|access-date=10 June 2013|archive-date=5 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905155555/http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/enjoying/countryside/countryparks/sherwood/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

This central core of ancient Sherwood is a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI) called [[Birklands And Bilhaugh|Birklands and Bilhaugh]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271003476%27|title=Magic Map Application|work=defra.gov.uk|access-date=14 June 2014|archive-date=11 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811045205/http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271003476%27|url-status=live}}</ref> NNR<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/designations/nnr/1009468.aspx|title=Nottinghamshire's National Nature Reserve|work=naturalengland.org.uk|access-date=17 March 2013|archive-date=14 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614045354/http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/designations/nnr/1009468.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Special Area of Conservation]] (SAC).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/protectedsites/sacselection/sac.asp?EUCode=UK0012740|title=Birklands and Bilhaugh|work=defra.gov.uk|access-date=14 June 2014|archive-date=14 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714130234/http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/protectedsites/sacselection/sac.asp?EUCode=UK0012740|url-status=live}}</ref> It is a very important site for ancient oaks, wood pasture, invertebrates and fungi, as well as being linked to the legends of Robin Hood.

[[File:An area of heathland within Sherwood Forest - geograph.org.uk - 6357738.jpg|thumb|left|Oak Tree Heath, Sherwood Forest]]

During the [[Second World War]] parts of Sherwood Forest were used extensively by the military for ammunition stores, [[POW camp]]s and training areas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mercian-as.co.uk/sfapworldwartwo.html|title=Sherwood Forest in World War II|website=mercian-as.co.uk|access-date=16 May 2019|archive-date=15 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515180340/http://www.mercian-as.co.uk/sfapworldwartwo.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Oil was produced at [[Eakring#World War II oil|Eakring]].<ref>{{cite book |last= Levine |first= Joshua |title= The Secret History of the Blitz |year= 2015 |publisher= Simon & Schuster |location= London |isbn= 978-1-4711-3102-8 |pages= 117–130 }}</ref> After the war large ammunition dumps were abandoned in the forest and were not cleared until 1952, with at least 46,000 tons of ammunition in them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=1950-03-21a.1746.8|title=Ammunition, Sherwood Forest: 21 Mar 1950: House of Commons debates|website=TheyWorkForYou|language=en|access-date=16 May 2019|archive-date=18 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518160341/https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=1950-03-21a.1746.8|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Sherwoodglade.jpg|200px|thumb|[[Birch]] trees in Sherwood Forest]]

Part of the forest was opened to the public as a [[country park]] in 1969 by Nottinghamshire County Council, which manages a small part of the forest under lease from the [[Thoresby Hall|Thoresby Estate]]. In 2002 a portion of Sherwood Forest was designated a [[national nature reserves in England|national nature reserve]] by [[English Nature]]. In 2007 [[Natural England]] officially incorporated the Budby South Forest, Nottinghamshire's largest area of dry lowland heath, into the Nature Reserve, nearly doubling its size from {{convert|220|to|423|ha|acre}}.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/6475887.stm |title=Sherwood Forest to double in size |date=21 March 2007 |work=BBC News |access-date=17 March 2013 |archive-date=22 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722081116/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/nottinghamshire/6475887.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

A new Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre was authorised in 2015. In August 2018 the [[RSPB]] opened the new development with a shop and café, having been granted permission to manage the woods in 2015. Part of an agreement with Natural England was that the land where the existing 1970s visitor centre was located would be restored to wood pasture.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-33879214 RSPB chosen to build Nottinghamshire's Sherwood Forest visitor centre] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204195440/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-33879214 |date=4 December 2020 }} ''[[BBC News]] Nottingham'', 12 August 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2020</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-35851097 Sherwood Forest project: Plans for £5.3m visitor centre unveiled] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190915153600/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-35851097 |date=15 September 2019 }} ''[[BBC News]] Nottingham'', 19 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2020</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-45297589 |title=New Sherwood Forest visitor centre opens |date=27 August 2018 |work=BBC News |access-date=29 April 2019 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323012705/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-45297589 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some portions of the forest retain many very old oaks, especially in the portion known as the [[Dukeries]], south of the town of [[Worksop]], which was so called because it used to contain four ducal residences, as well as a number of other country estates.

The [[River Idle]], a tributary of the [[River Trent|Trent]], is formed in Sherwood Forest from the confluence of several minor streams.