Meet the unsung heroes of Dalby Forest thanks to a new Channel 5 series

Following the success of the first series of Secret Life of the Forest, filmed in Kielder Forest in 2020, Channel 5 returned to reveal the spectacular beauty and wildlife this time in Forestry England’s Great Yorkshire Forest, Dalby. Filmed over one extraordinary summer in 2022, the eight-part series, narrated by actor Robert Lindsay, focuses on the diverse wildlife and nature in the three forests and the Forestry England staff and volunteers caring for these special places.

Situated in North Yorkshire, Dalby, Cropton and Langdale forests are home to some of Britain’s most interesting and fascinating wildlife including a beaver colony, turtle doves, Exmoor ponies and some very rare insect species found only in Yorkshire.

Spanning over 8,000 acres, Dalby Forest is nestled at the southern edge of the North York Moors National Park. Purchased by the Forestry Commission in 1921, the last century has seen the forest thrive as a home to an incredible array of wildlife and nature, as well as being a stargazing reserve, a productive timber resource and an attraction welcoming around 400,000 visitors a year.

But what many people may not know is that Dalby as we know, it is less than 100 years old, although it is thought that the forest’s existence spans back to 1106 with roots in royal hunting and rabbit warrening.

“This series has made us all take a different look at our forests and realise just what a special place Dalby, Cropton and Langdale are to so many people and wildlife for different reasons,” says Ed Woollard, Head of Recreation and Public Affairs, Forestry England Yorkshire District who was involved closely with the filming and editing of the programme.

“I hope this series inspires viewers to realise how unique Forestry England is. We work hard to balance the needs of our visitors to enjoy and explore these inspiring places with supporting wildlife and careful forest management. I also hope they find something within the series that resonates with them and inspires people to get out to their local forests or green spaces.

"We really wanted to show the people and the human interest stories of the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes and to help visitors understand the amount of work it take just to make sure we can support visitors while maintaining the integrity of the forests and the wildlife that thrives here.”

Among those people are retired ecologist and Dalby Forest expert Brian Walker who is featured in the programme.

"After the end of the First World War Britain had only three percent of tree cover left and most of it wasn’t timber that could be used and so the government created the then Forestry Commission (now Forestry England) to buy land and plant trees because we were so desperately short of timber,” says Brian.

"The first trees were planted in Dalby in 1921 and now it provides 20,000 tonnes of timber a year.”

It is this timber business side of Dalby that some people struggle to understand, says Ed . “People do sometimes get upset when they see is felling trees, but what they don’t realise is that it is sustainable,”Ed explains that Forestry England grows and harvests the timber in ways that support the big natural processes like oxygen, water and carbon cycles, but they also provide a huge range of habitats for wildlife, to welcome people into the forests and to support local and national economies.

"Selling our trees into the British timber market under the ‘Grown In Britain’ licensing scheme helps pay for the environmental benefits, facilities and the public use of our forests.”

One of the massive success stories in the Yorkshire forests is the return of the beaver to Cropton. A lthough their exact location is secret to protect the beavers, The Secret Life of the Forest films the beaver in action and speak to Kath Bashforth.

Two breeding beavers were moved from a Scottish reintroduction programme in 2019 and rehomed in a specially built enclosure in Cropton Forest, under the supervision of Forestry England ecologists.

The project was a major success, with the pair having several litters of kits and the family completely transforming the landscape around the ponds and beck in their enclosure as part of a trial to monitor their impact on natural flood management.

The group have built a dam that is two metres high and 100 metres wide, raising upstream water levels, and have constructed a lodge. Data has supported the theory that their activities have 'slowed the flow' of rainwater and reduced flooding further down the valley, and other species such as frogs, toads and kingfishers have increased in number due to the beavers opening up the area around the ponds.

"We are very proud of the work that has been done with the beavers,” says Ed. “We have to be very strict about keeping the location secret but the programme means that peple are able to see the amazing work being done by the beavers.”Another thing Ed is proud of that is highlighted by the Channel 5 series is the Stone Wall Maze. Mark Ellis, a specialist dry stone waller with almost 30 years of experience joined forces with the Friends of Dalby Forest and Forestry England to create the world's largest dry stone wall maze in the heart of Dalby Forest. The first foundation stones were laid in September 2014 and to this date, it’s about halfway through the project.

“It is still a few years off completion but what is really important about this project is that so many different people all volunteers have been involved.”

Volunteer are a vital part of Dalby Forest and they are always on the look out for more people to get involved in various projects and helping some of the 400,000 visitors a year who come to enjoy everything it has to offer.

Ed says lockdowns did initially affect visitor numbers when they were forced to close the visitor centre. But they were soon given special status and allowed to reopen.

"We then saw a massive upsurge and a record number of visitors which brought with it its own challenges. We are now back at pre Covid levels which is great and t hen we can start to build numbers gradually which is better for everyone, especially the forest."While Ed hopes and expects the Secret Life of the Forest to lead to more people visiting Dalby and the surrounding forests, he hopes it will also hopes it will help people understand the massive amount of work that goes into maintaining the woodland who maintain it for future generations.

Secret Life of the Forest series two launches is on Wednesdays 15 at 8pm on Channel 5 and will be available on Channel 5 catch up.

To find out more about volunteering at Dalby For est visit fr [email protected]