A stream running between grassland with several large logs to the left and trees in the background

Knightwood

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Knightwood

This project is focused on restoring Winding Shoot and its associated wetland habitats, a small tributary stream of the Black Water which starts south of Church Moor within Knightwood Inclosure in the middle of the New Forest.

A group of dense, thin trees with brown and screen scrub

Knightwood evidence of issues

This stream has been heavily altered by manmade actions – it has been straightened and dug deeper than it would naturally be, and the way water moves across the surrounding land has been further disrupted by drainage ditches linked to nearby plantation forestry.

Banks of dug-out material sit along the sides of the stream, stopping water from spilling out onto the floodplain as it should. In addition, several culverts restrict the flow of water.

Together, these changes have damaged the wetland habitat and altered natural water patterns, allowing trees like conifers and birch to spread into areas where they wouldn’t normally grow.

Scrubland with a row of trees in the background

Work being carried out

Restoration work is underway to improve this watercourse and its riparian habitats.

Earlier this year (2026), felling removed encroaching non-native trees and those on spoil banks to prepare the area for wetland restoration.

This summer, the wetland restoration work will take place and will aim to repair eroding areas, infill over deepened sections of the channel, infill side drains, remove spoil banks and revert the watercourse back to the lowest point of the floodplain.

This work will reconnect the channel with the floodplain, slow water flow, and enhance the surrounding wetland habitats.

'The felling work has really transformed the area, giving an early glimpse to how open the habitat would naturally be without drainage and altered hydrology. With the trees removed, it's hard to imagine what it was like before – the landscape now feels naturally open, and we’re hopeful the wetland habitat underneath will fully recover once the restoration work is complete'

Suzi Egleston, HLS project manager at Forestry England