We are the New Forest’s leading independent membership body working to conserve and restore our unique habitat and cultural heritage. We also engage with the many organisations who manage the Forest to protect it for current and future generations.
The New Forest is a delicate ecosystem, reliant on the unique management practices of Commoners and the collaborative efforts of those organisations given responsibility for its care. Protecting The Forest from human pressures and ensuring its resilience against future challenges requires constant vigilance and strategic foresight.
A place of tranquillity and sanctuary, The Forest cannot speak for itself – so the New Forest Association gives it a voice.We hold the organisations responsible for managing the Forest to account, leveraging our members’ expertise to advocate for responsible stewardship and ensuring that those entrusted with its care fulfil their duties. But we go beyond oversight. We prioritise what’s best for the Forest, inspiring and supporting conservation and protection programmes.
We assess how the Forest should be used and encourage residents, businesses, and visitors alike to engage with it in ways that promote its long-term health and sustainability.
We believe in a positive future for the New Forest. Protecting its habitats and rich biodiversity from inappropriate use and external threats like climate change requires action, not inaction. By taking proactive steps today, we can secure the Forest for generations to come — so they too can benefit from and enjoy its beauty.
And we can’t wait. The Forest is under unremitting pressure, and its natural beauty will only survive and flourish if we all act now to conserve everything that makes it special.
Alarm bells are ringing. Please heed the call. Join us today and become part of the New Forest team.
Our vision of the New Forest is a unique naturally beautiful yet living and changing place in which strong elements of tranquillity and wilderness are maintained despite the increasing pressures from the demands of local population, recreation and infrastructure.
The New Forest Association was formed in 1867 when there was a very real threat to enclose all usable parts of the Crown lands for timber production and sell off the remainder. This had happened in many other Royal Forests in the preceding 60 years.
At the heart of the Association are our Board of Trustees and our Advisory Council, supported by Committees. Officers and Trustees are elected by the membership and members of Council are appointed by the Board of Trustees. Co-option may take place between AGMs.
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New Forest Association © 2026
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Photographs courtesy: Clive Chatters, Gale Pettifer, Steve Laycock, Mike Read, Brian Tarnoff, Peter Roberts, John Ward.