Forest news and events

Find out about forest closures and other news about public forests in Northern Ireland.

COVID-19 update

Car parks in all DAERA-owned country and forest parks are closed to all vehicles until further notice.

People are also urged not to visit on foot.

Playparks, on-site toilet facilities, camping facilities, museums, mobile concessions and visitor centres are also closed.

Paper bank notes

All £5.00 and £10.00 paper notes were taken out of circulation on the 30 September 2019 because they were each replaced with polymer notes. For this reason, Forest Service is unable to accept paper notes after this date. 

Note that banks in Northern Ireland will still accept all Northern Ireland paper notes from their own customers, which can either be deposited into their account or exchanged for polymer notes.  

Glenariff

Timber harvesting work is underway near the Touring in the Trees caravan site until the end of March 2020.  Access to the caravan site will be restricted during this time and the adjacent horse riding trail is also closed. Forest visitors are asked to obey all signage that has been erected to help ensure public safety. 

Access to Glenariff Waterfalls and Forest Park is not affected by this work and the car park is open as normal during daylight hours. 

Camping and touring online booking

You can now book online if you'd like to camp or stay in a caravan, motorhome, campervan, folding caravan or trailer tent at the following forest parks in Northern Ireland:

Over 100 forests to explore

Northern Ireland has over 100 public forests you can visit.  They’re great places for walking, exercising dogs, running, orienteering. In some you can organise events, go camping, caravanning, picnicking or horse riding. Find out more:

Ballyboley Forest, County Antrim

The 'Touring in the Trees' site has been closed due to issues with the water supply.  Other supply arrangements are being considered and a final decision will be taken when this information is available. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Forest recreation charges

On event days, some charges apply to particular forests. There are also charges for the use of additional facilities in some forests - these apply to vehicles, people and to some activities and organised events. The link below has details of concessions for charities and community groups, caravanning and camping.

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.

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