New Forest National Park

New Forest National Park, national park in the county of Hampshire, southern England. It covers an area of 580 sq km (225 sq mi) of heathland, bog, and woodland stretching from Ringwood and Fordingbridge in the west, to Totton and Langley in the east, and from Redlynch in the north, to Lymington in the south. The New Forest was granted full National Park status in 2004, almost five years after the Countryside Agency (the Government’s National Parks advisory body) first started the designation process.

Numerous areas of enclosed woodland (enclosures) are used to grow oak, beech, and other trees for commercial use; public access to these areas is limited. About 54 per cent of the area of the forest, comprising private heath and agricultural and residential land, is in private ownership, 31 per cent is open forest, and 15 per cent enclosed land. The Crown retains ownership of about 50 per cent of the total area and this is managed by the Forestry Commission. The Open Forest Waste is probably the best known and most popular part of the forest, containing ancient oak, beech, holly, and other trees. The native New Forest ponies and herds of deer roam the forest, which supports some rare and endangered species, and is a haven for a large variety of wildlife. The New Forest is popular with tourists who use it for rambling and cycling.

There is evidence of occupation in the middle to late Bronze Age and of a pottery used during the Roman occupation (see Roman Britain). Its name first appears in documents in about 1079, when it was designated as a royal hunting ground by William the Conqueror, a use that continued up to the 16th century. The timber resources of the forest became important in the late 17th century, and ships for the Royal Navy were built at Bucklers Hard, near Beaulieu, between 1696 and 1847. Regulation of the deer and woodland was originally vested by the Norman kings in the Verderers of the New Forest, who were judicial officers of the royal forest. The role of the Verderers has changed since their inception but they are still concerned with the welfare of livestock belonging to the Commoners, who have ancient rights in the forest, and sit on the New Forest Council.