Open horse riding season has now started in Epping Forest.

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Forest Focus

Forest Focus is our free quarterly newsletter. It's full of the latest stories, features, news and events in Epping Forest.

You can now read Forest Focus online for free on Issuu

• Spring 2019
• Winter 2018
• Autumn 2018
• Summer 2018

You can also pick up a printed copy at one of our visitor centres.

Subscribe

Sign up for our Forest Focus e-newsletter to receive Forest Focus by email each season.

Meet Epping Forest's new artist-in-residence

We are pleased to announce that local violinist/composer, Ellie Wilson, will be artist-in-residence at Epping Forest throughout 2019. Ellie is a member of ‘Britain’s most exciting new folk band’ (Uncut Magazine) and 4-time BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominees, Stick In The Wheel and we are excited to be working a nationally and internationally-renowned musician and composer on this new Epping Forest-inspired project, Echoes.

Find out more.

Bluebells in Wanstead Park

The first few bluebells of the season are appearing in Chalet Wood in Wanstead Park. Please remember to keep to paths and avoid trampling the bluebells so that everyone can enjoy them for as long as possible - and please don't pick them!

Plans for Wanstead Flats festival postponed

Plans for a 3-day music concert on Wanstead Flats, originally proposed for 2019 have been postponed until 2020 to allow further time for planning and approval of the event. The organisers are now proposing an event for September 2020 which would take place over one weekend.

The revised date provides more time for concerns that have been raised to be addressed and for further consultation to take place.  Therefore, the organiser’s proposal will not be presented to the Epping Forest and Commons Committee at its meeting of 19 November 2018 as previously advised and will now be considered by the Epping Forest and Commons Committee during 2019.

Low water levels in Wanstead Park

Water levels in Wanstead Park continue to be an ongoing concern. Substantial works undertaken in 2017 helped these problems significantly, but the summer heat this year has exacerbated the issue again. We're hopeful that conditions at the ponds begin to will improve now that temperatures are returning to normal, and plans are being developed to address these issues more fully in the longer term.

For a full update on this issue, see our water levels update, written in August 2018.

Forest works and maintenance

You may want to plan your visit to Epping Forest around any maintenance work we're conducting. Typical tasks include clearing, grass cutting and bridleway or path maintenance.

Week commencing Monday 8 April

• Forest wide: tree safety work, tree defect work, grass cutting and rubble removal, and council tree inspections
• Bushwood Avenue: tree cutting
• Claypit Hill car park: closed until further notice
• Highams Park: tree safety work at Forest Glade
• High Beach easy access trail: woodpasture restoration
• Lower Roding: river defence survey
• Railway Field: closed to public access
• Wanstead Flats: scrub clearance

Upcoming volunteer tasks

• Thursday 11 April: birch coppicing at Hangboy Slade with the Epping Forest Heritage Trust

Note: Some other works may be reactive in nature, and not scheduled. We apologise for any inconvenience these works may cause. For further information, please email us.

Cattle grazing

Our cows are tucked up for winter now, but will be back on the Forest in Spring. In the meantime, find out more about our grazing programme on our cattle grazing page.