New Woodland Centre Takes Shape at East Dartmoor and Heaths National Nature Reserve

Work has commenced on a new sustainable woodland centre at Yarner Wood, which is part of the East Dartmoor Woods and Heaths National Nature Reserve. The centre is designed to provide more opportunities for local communities, schools, and visitors to learn about, volunteer for, and enjoy the benefits of being outdoors.

The new building will replace the reserve’s ageing visitor centre and provide modern, year-round spaces for conservation, education, and wellbeing activities. These will include NHS partnerships, such as woodcraft for wellbeing and art therapy in nature, as well as opportunities for volunteers to help protect the reserve’s wildlife.

Neil Hornby, chief executive of Natural England, said the new centre will help more people experience the benefits of nature while supporting the local community and the conservation of the area. He also encouraged local organisations and community groups to get involved.

The building has been designed to protect the nature around it. The frame is made from Douglas fir donated by the Woodland Trust from its Bovey Valley woods. The trees were felled to restore ancient woodland by turning conifer plantations back into native woodland and temperate rainforest. The exterior cladding will use 4km of western red cedar, which is naturally durable and oily, requiring minimal treatment to stay weatherproof and reducing the building’s long-term environmental impact.

Andy Bakere, senior reserves manager for Natural England, said the centre will give people new ways to connect with nature and get involved in conservation. The centre will operate totally off-grid, using solar power and rainwater harvesting to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and work towards Natural England’s net zero goals.

Yarner Wood is a 365-acre ancient oak woodland and temperate rainforest on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, in Devon. It was part of England’s first National Nature Reserve and is managed by Natural England. It is known for its breeding birds, including pied flycatchers and wood warblers, and its summer wood ant nests. National Nature Reserves protect England’s most important habitats, species, and geology, delivering nature recovery at a landscape scale.