What's happening to our forest

If you've ridden here recently, you'll have seen it: whole hillsides cleared, stumps where mature trees stood, warning signs and diversions. It's not random felling — it's disease control, and it's happening across the whole country.
 

The main culprit is Phytophthora ramorum, often called larch disease — a highly destructive, fungus-like organism with no cure. Once a tree is infected, the only way to stop it from spreading is to fell and destroy it. In the Forest of Dean, around 115 hectares — roughly 285 acres — of larch have already been felled to contain it, with more to come. Outbreaks have hit both the eastern Forest (Staple Edge, Danby Lodge near Yorkley) and the west (near Broadwell, and between Milkwall and Darkhills).

It doesn't stop at larch. Phytophthora ramorum can also kill oak, beech, sweet chestnut, birch and more. And there's a newer threat too — Phytophthora pluvialis, which affects Douglas fir and pine, has led to movement restrictions in the western Dean.

This is a working forest that's stood for centuries. It's changing in front of us — and while Forestry England is replanting with more diverse, resilient woodland, the felled trees won't be replaced in our lifetimes.

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Why this matters to riders

Here's the part a lot of people don't realise. Phytophthora spores spread on mountain bike wheels.

That's not us being dramatic — it's straight from Forestry England. The spores travel in mud, on soil, in bits of leaf and twig. They cling to tyres, frames, shoes and dogs' paws. When you ride an infected patch of forest and then drive to another trail centre — or come back next week — you can carry the disease with you without ever knowing.

We ride these trails because we love this forest. That means we've got a responsibility to help protect it.

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The five-minute clean that helps

Forestry England's advice is simple, and it's built around three things:

🧽 #KeepItClean — Before you leave, and before you visit another woodland, clean the mud, leaves and twigs off your bike, tyres and shoes. There's a bike wash on site at the Cycle Centre — use it. A quick brush-down of your tyres and shoes makes a real difference.

🌳 #TakeNothing — Leave wood where you find it. Don't move sticks, bark or branches between woodlands or take them home — it moves the disease with them.

🍂 #LeaveNothing — Never dump garden waste in laybys or the forest. It spreads disease, wrecks the soil, and introduces invasive species.

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Do it before and after

The single most useful habit: clean your bike before you arrive and before you leave.

• Before you come: so you're not bringing anything in from the last place you rode.

• Before you go: so you're not carrying anything out to the next forest or home.
   

It takes five minutes. Use the bike wash at the centre, or a brush and a bottle of water on the car. It's one of the easiest things any of us can do — and if every rider did it, it would genuinely help slow the spread.

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A note on closures

Because of all this, you'll sometimes find trails or sections closed for felling work, with diversions in place. Please follow all signage — partly for the forest, but also for your own safety: heavy machinery operates in these areas, often out of sight. Always check the live trail status before you ride.

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The bottom line

We're lucky to ride somewhere this special. The trees coming down are a genuine loss — but every one of us can do one small thing to help what's left.

Clean your bike. Take nothing. Leave nothing. Protect the forest we all ride.