Northumberland's Kielder Forest is set to have a vast new wild area added by Forestry England as part of a new scheme.

The organisation is allowing nature to transform more than 8,000 hectares of forest land across the country, with Kielder having the largest of these new wild areas.

The venture, called Wild Kielder, will incorporate East Kielder forests and Kielderhead Moors, covering a hefty 6,000 hectares - 10 per cent of the 60,000+ hectare Kielder Forest.

Plans include expanding native woodland, restoring peatland, and creating more open habitats, resulting in a resilient forest ready for future climate conditions.

Kevin May, Forestry England’s forest management director for North England, said: "In the context of Kielder - a large productive working forest, we will create an exemplar of modern forestry that moves the sector forward.

"We will have forests that can fully deliver for climate, for biodiversity, for people's health and well-being and maintain a productive element so it can be financially resilient going forward."

As the country’s largest land manager, Forestry England is ideally positioned to carry out nature recovery efforts across vast landscapes.

These actions may include reintroducing lost wildlife like butterflies, rare plants, pine martens, and beavers, re-routing rivers, and planting riparian woodland.

Andrew Stringer, Forestry England's head of environment, said: "There is an exciting unpredictability about starting this work in our four wild areas.

"We simply don’t know exactly how each of them will change over time or the detail of what they will look like.

"But this uncertainty is a positive part of being experimental and allowing natural processes to shape each landscape in the years ahead.

"We are confident that whatever happens these areas will become more nature-rich, with benefits for neighbouring landscapes."

Forestry England is collaborating with a number of expert partners on the new endeavour.

Some will participate in hands-on nature restoration activity, while others will gather scientific data to assess progress.

All data collected will be freely accessible as part of Forestry England’s commitment to open data sharing and building an evidence base for wilding activities.