The Fight to Save Sherwood Forest

The forest that afforded Robin Hood a hiding place from the Sheriff of Nottingham, and where he took the Maid Marion as his bride is succumbing to the effects of time. Organizations are rallying in an effort to save the forest and its ancient oaks.

The forest known for its role in the charming folklore that allowed a safe haven and stomping grounds for the 13th century Robin Hood is falling victim to time. Robin Hood used the forest and its canopy to hide from the Sheriff of Nottingham, which once covered 100,000 acres in Nottinghamshire County. It has since dwindled down to a mere 450 acres of condensed forest with but a few patches of trees sprinkling the rest of the county. Robin Hood's crimes of thievery of stealing from the rich and giving the pilfered goods to the poor brought the famous forest to the heart of the folklore, a story which became a symbol of romping moral decency and humanitarian aid that has lived on for generations. But now, the forest is in danger. Organizations are rallying together to devise a rescue plan that might save the forest and its endangered ancient oak trees, and through a lottery competition that will take place this winter, the collective group hopes to win the $100 million grant. Austin Brady, the regional director of the East Midlands Conservancy Forestry Commission says, "If you ask someone to think of something typically English or British, they think of the Sherwood Forest and Robin Hood. They are part of our national identity ... but the Sherwood Forest is a real place and the real forest needs help too." Over time, the forest began to lose acreage to new farms, mines, towns and logging. According to an article in the Sun Journal, timber from the forest was used to build medieval ships and as well as portions of St. Paul's Cathedral. One of the oldest trees in the forest is near Edwinstowe, the place where legend says Robin Hood married Maid Marion. In what is known as the 'beating heart of the forest', the core, or cluster of the remaining forest trees holds 997 oaks on a 450 acre patch. Of those, 250 are thriving well, while 200 are losing their health and have become vulnerable. The remaining timber are dead, however essential to the ecosystem of the small forest. The article reports that ancient oaks live about 900 years; 300 of those years are spent growing and 300 are spent dying. Should the grant be issued to the organizations rallying together to save the dwindling forest, the plan is to plant 250,000 trees to boost up and thicken the once thriving parcel. The $100 million grant is part of a lottery known as BIG Lottery, a branch of the National Lottery. Their mission is to give to good causes and the rally to better Sherwood Forest is one of four projects bench marked to be vying for the grant.