In pictures: Woodland restoration

1 of 5 The Forestry Commission is planning to fell millions of conifers and other non-native trees in England over the next 20 years to regenerate indigenous species. New forests of oak, beech and ash will be planted.

2 of 5 The initiative will take place at a majority of the commission's sites. Conservation groups have welcomed the plans and say wildlife will benefit. The use of forests for recreation purposes is also increasingly popular.

3 of 5 The Woodland Trust conservation charity has been carrying out restoration work at a number of locations across the UK. At the 250-acre Old Wood, near Lincoln, a native broadleaf tree can be made out among a mass of Norway spruces.

4 of 5 The restoration process begins with felling. The stumps taken away will be used for fencing and wood chip.

5 of 5 Native oaks stand where conifers once flourished. "Had the conifers remained, these trees would have died out," said the trust's Woodland Operations Director Norman Starks. "Now they will seed and young oaks will start to emerge."