When the Woodland Trust acquired the land in 2008, most of the area consisted of farmland, predominantly oilseed rape fields.

[3] The name "Heartwood" was chosen for the growing forest as a nod to the heart-shaped leaves of the rare Lime trees present in these original pockets of ancient woodland.

[6] Over a period of ten years, roughly 45,000 volunteers, including 17,000 school children, planted a total of 600,000 trees.

[7] The Woodland Trust monitors local wildlife, and found that many species' populations more than doubled between 2010 and 2016, as the forest expanded substantially.

[8] The forest is open to the public free of charge, with marked trails and walking paths throughout.