New Forest National Park Boundary Markers

Boundary marked for the first time

The boundary of the New Forest National Park is being marked for the first time, with local wood that reflects the history and landscape of the New Forest.

These stylised tree-shaped markers are made from Douglas fir from the Lady Cross Inclosure near Brockenhurst and oak from the Lodgehill Inclosure near Lyndhurst and were made at the Forestry Commission’s local workshop in Burley, all within the National Park.

The 1.5 metre high markers will be placed at the main entry points into the National Park over the coming months. The first boundary markers are already in place at Blackhill, Landford and the Avon Valley Path near Fordingbridge.

There will be a total of 45 markers in Hampshire and four in Wiltshire; eight will be on long distance footpaths and 41 on roads, including the motorway.

Peter Frost, a New Forest National Park Authority member and part of the Boundary Markers and Signage Advisory Group, said: ‘We believe it is right to mark the boundary of the National Park but in a way that is subtle and appropriate to the Forest.

‘These markers really are ‘of the Forest’ they are made of wood from trees grown here and worked on by Forest people without ever going outside the boundary they mark.’

These markers are part of a bigger initiative to reduce the total number of signs on the Forest. Damaged and redundant signs are being taken down as part of the project.