Catalogue description Forestry Commission: Forest Park Committees, Minutes

In March 1935 the Forestry Commission set up a National Forest Parks Committee to consider a specific example as to how the commission's unplantable land might be put to public use. It advised the creation of Britain's first forest park in Argyll, which was opened in May 1937. Subsequently, forest parks have been created in Snowdonia (1937), Forest of Dean (1938), Glentroul (1947), Glenmore (1948), Loch Ard (1951, but renamed as Queen Elizabeth in 1954), and Border (1955). Hardknott (1943) has since ceased to be regarded as a forest park.

The development of all actual or potential national forest parks was originally entrusted to a small executive committee, aided by a much larger advisory committee on which many of the organisations concerned with open air activities were represented. From 1945 control was decentralised and entrusted to Forest Park Committees. One of these was instituted for the administration of each forest park in England and Wales, and a single committee for all those in Scotland. In 1969 their functions were taken over by the Regional Advisory Committees.