News | New Forest Association

FIRE AT BRATLEY/BACKLEY/A31 AUGUST 2026

Habitat & Landscape CommitteeOther
August 17th, 2026

An article by Clive Chatters in response to the fire.

August 2026

In this newsletter…

INTERIM VERGE WATCH REPORT 2026 by Jo Ivey, Council Member and Sarah Nield, Chair

Recreation Committee
August 10th, 2026

Read below or download the document here 1. INTRODUCTION The New Forest roadside verges are a rich habitat despite their low-key appearance. Just how rich is bring discovered by on...

June 2026

In this newsletter…

May 2026

In this newsletter…

April 2026

In this newsletter…

New Forest Car Parking Charges and Verge Watch

Recreation Committee
April 16th, 2026

We are expecting charges in Forestry England car parks to be introduced from 20th April 2026, although we are still awaiting final confirmation and there is no public annoucment as...

Final Report on Recreational Mitigation in the New Forest

Recreation Committee
March 31st, 2026

Report on Recreational Mitigation in the New Forest By Sarah Nield, Chair of the New Forest Association (Charity No 260328) and Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Southampton...

March 2026

In this newsletter…

February 2026

In this newsletter…

January 2026

In this newsletter…

December 2025

In this newsletter…

29th September 2026

– 7.30pm

Pine Martens in the New Forest

Marcus, Director of Wild New Forest Guided Tours, will be giving a fascinating talk exploring the lives of Pine Martens in the New Forest. For more than a decade, Marcus has been s...

£7.50

Book ticket

20th October 2026

– 7.30pm

New Forest Ponies – a breed apart

Suzanne Kemp has lived in the New Forest for the last thirty years, is a practising first generation Commoner, and has judged ponies in Finland and Sweden as well as the UK, she al...

£7.50

Book ticket

24th November 2026

– 7.30pm

Climate Change and the New Forest

John Stride is the Net Zero with Nature Programme Manager for the New Forest National Park Authority and will be giving a fascinating, informative, and timely talk on climate chang...

£7.50

Book ticket

Protect Heathlands by Restricting Sky Lanterns and Fireworks Along With Barbecues

Other
November 16th, 2022

We believe the susceptibility of our heathlands to wildfires is the crux of the proposed public spaces protection order that seeks to ban barbecues on the Crown Lands. The order o...

NFDC Cabinet Advances Prohibitions on Forest Pony Feeding and Barbecues to Consultation

CommoningRecreation Committee
November 11th, 2022

New Forest District Council has sent two draft Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO) for the Forest to address fires, barbecues, pony feeding and petting to public consultation whi...

Dog Public Space Protection Order: A Statement to NFDC Council Cabinet

Other
November 2nd, 2022

We add our suggestions for a possible Dog Public Spaces Protection Orders to our broad support for the two already proposed New Forest District Council PSPOs. This statement was g...

Byelaw Watch Report 2022

Recreation Committee
October 27th, 2022

The FoNF 2022 Byelaw Watch Report has been published. With grateful thanks to the volunteers who contributed to this with their ‘eyes in the Forest’ And those who compi...

Notes: Solent Freeport Background

Planning & Transport Committee
October 20th, 2022

Our statement regarding the Solent Freeport at the New Forest National Park Authority meeting on 20th October 2022 included these Notes and Footnotes for the benefit of the Authori...

Solent Freeport Requires Regard for the New Forest National Park

Planning & Transport Committee
October 20th, 2022

We made this statement regarding the Solent Freeport at the New Forest National Park Authority meeting on 20th October 2022. The Authority agenda included a discussion of the Free...

Declaration from National Parks Movement to Strengthen Protected Landscapes

Planning & Transport Committee
October 19th, 2022

The annual National Parks Societies Conference was held in Snowdonia last week. Recognising the present scale of the nature and climate emergency, the Friends of the New Forest pro...

Verderers Announcements & Decisions : Cycling

Recreation Committee
October 19th, 2022

This month’s announcements about cycling responds to a few of the preliminary observations from this year’s Byelaw Watch shared in the September Court by our Vice Chair...

Verderers Announcements & Decisions : Dogs, Brambles, Fees & New Verderers

CommoningHabitat & Landscape CommitteeRecreation Committee
October 19th, 2022

This month’s announcements include the management and importance of brambles, controlling dogs in bird nesting season, pleas to not feed livestock, marking fees, and the appo...

Byelaws Watch Survey – Preliminary Findings

Recreation Committee
September 25th, 2022

Friends of the New Forest made a presentment to the Court of Verderers at their meeting on 21st February in order to provide some feedback on findings from this 2022 survey, which ...

Update On Byelaw Watch 2022

Recreation Committee
August 25th, 2022

With just under one week to go of the August Free Range Byelaw Watch here is a quick update of the outcome up to 15th August 2022. We have received 180 responses by 65 or so volunt...

Byelaws Watch Survey 2022

Recreation Committee
July 26th, 2022

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS The New Forest is in theory protected by byelaws that aim to conserve the Forest, preserve its tranquillity, and regulate recreational use – the Forestry Commis...