Bristol Distinguished Address Series x Festival of Nature

How to create a forest

Looking into the new western forest and how woodland creation is much more complex than large-scale tree planting.

Key Information:

Date and time
Wed 10 June 2026
18:00 - 21:00
Location
Hybrid: Online and Watershed, 1 Canons Road, Further info
Contact
Events Team events@uwe.ac.uk
Cost
Free
Attendance
Booking required
See all events

Description

Trees are transformational, and our region has a bold mission ahead: to create one of England’s new national forests. Can it be done, and what will the benefits be for communities, wildlife and businesses?

John Everitt (CEO, The National Forest) will open by sharing the nation’s ambitions for transforming landscapes. He will be followed by Jamie Audsley (Director, Western Forest) and Leah McNally (CEO, Avon Wildlife Trust) who will unveil plans for the region before handing over to Chiara Lodi (Research Manager, Black Southwest Network) to share early findings from Western Forest research exploring how we ensure forest creation is inclusive.

This event will be chaired by Darren Reynolds, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at UWE Bristol, with a welcome from Savita Willmott, Director of the Festival of Nature.

This event is part of The Festival of Nature

Programme

  • 18:00: Arrival and registration in Lantern Hall
  • 18:30: Event starts in Lantern Hall and livestream begins
  • 19:30: Q&A
  • 19:45: Event and livestream ends
  • 19:45-21:00: Networking and drinks.

How to attend

You can attend this event in person or watch online via live-stream. Please register so we can send you all the relevant details.

Attending in person: Further information on how to find us will be emailed to you a few days before the event.

Attending online: The live-stream link will be emailed to you a few days before the event.

  • Cost: Free
  • Attendance: Booking required

Location

Watershed
1 Canons Road
Harbourside
Bristol
BS1 5TX
UK

Online: Register for info

Watershed

Accessibility

UWE Bristol welcomes all abilities/disabilities, ages, ethnicities, and genders to our events. If you have any questions, concerns or additional requirements then please let us know by contacting events@uwe.ac.uk so that we can make your time at this event as comfortable as possible.

Venue information:

  • Disabled parking: No
  • Step-free access: Yes
  • Accessible toilets: Yes
  • Assisted Listening: Yes
  • Guide/assistance dog-friendly: Yes
  • Quiet spaces available: Yes

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