Summary
The Active Forests programme (‘Active Forests’) aims to create a physical activity habit for life for visitors to the nation’s forests in England managed by Forestry England. This page summarises details of the monitoring and evaluation of phase 4 of the Active Forests programme, which runs for four years from 2026-2030 across approximately 32 sites, from large forests in national parks to peri-urban forests. Phase 4 is called ‘Connect, Move, Feel Good. To find out more about the Active Forests programme and Forest Research’s wider involvement in monitoring and evaluating it across other phases of delivery, visit the Active Forests evaluation overview page.
Research Objectives
The research objectives are:
- What types of physical activities are undertaken and enjoyed in forests as part of the Active Forests programme and by whom?
- What are the number of physical activity visits as part of the programme?
- What is the level of people’s physical activity per week and is there some evidence of intention for positive behaviour change likely within the next month from engaging in the AF programme?
- What is the duration, frequency and main activity of participants for development into a Quality Adjusted Life Year?
- What is the life satisfaction of participants and has this changed when they reflect back on the previous year?
- How well does the programme reach its target audiences: less active people, those with disabilities and long-term health conditions, children and young people, women and girls, and those from lower socio-economic groups and can intersectionality be identified i.e. how many fit one or more of the target categories?
- What are the perceived physical and mental wellbeing benefits gained by participants from engaging in the AF programme?
Findings and Recommendations
The monitoring and evaluation will complete in 2030 and findings will be shared then.
Latest Update
There are two main objectives that Active Forests Phase 4 will focus on:
- Thriving places (Access and inclusion): Remove barriers and create equitable access to inclusive, welcoming and safe forest spaces which are connected with and serving their local communities.
- Thriving people (Health and wellbeing): Inspire and empower diverse audiences to connect, move and feel good in the forests, by increasing confidence, participation and ownership among individuals who have historically been excluded from or underrepresented in these environments.
Our Involvement
Forest Research is leading the monitoring and evaluation of the programme in close collaboration with Forestry England
General Content
Understanding physical activity in England: Sport England has been running the Active Lives survey for many years. Data from the survey shows trends in physical activity levels for different sections of society https://www.sportengland.org/research-and-data/data/active-lives?section=access-the-reports-section
Funding & Partners
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Forestry England -
Sport England