Forest news and events
Find out about forest closures and other news about public forests and country parks in Northern Ireland.
Rostrevor forest
Forest operations are planned to start in September 2024.
Forest Service manage this area of woodland under a Low impact Silvicultural System (LISS). This continuous cover silvicultural system aims to improve biodiversity and resilience of the forest, whilst retaining tree cover.
The forest operations planned include harvesting interventions to reduce the density of conifer trees in the canopy.
This will allow light to penetrate onto the forest floor and promote ground flora development as well as natural regeneration of tree species.
The harvesting operations target:
- thinning the conifers
- promoting native oak
- ground flora development
There are small areas of windblown trees and these will also be cleared during the harvesting operations.
Vehicle permits
Annual vehicle permits for 2024/25 are available for sale.
Permits can be bought by contacting Forest Service on 028 6634 3165, or in person from the Ranger Hut in Tollymore Forest Park.
Forest Service caravan and camping bookings 2024
The Forest Service online caravan and camping booking system opened for 2024 bookings on Monday 18 December 2023.
The caravan and campsite at Tollymore Forest Park opened on Friday 2 February 2024.
Forest recreation charges
On event days, some charges apply to particular forests.
There are also charges for the use of extra facilities in some forests - these apply to vehicles, people and to some activities and organised events.
You can get details of concessions for charities and community groups, caravanning and camping at this link:
Report wildlife sightings online
In Northern Ireland, the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR) collates wildlife records for both native and non-native species.
You can record your sightings on its website either as a single record event or you can register with them and send details through a free online account.