The future role of 25,000 hectares (61,776 acres) of publicly owned forests in North West England is to be the subject of a new public consultation unveiled by the Forestry Commission.

Residents living close to, and people working with, woodlands and forests in the regions will be given the chance to have their say on the contribution such areas should make in future years, including leisure provision and helping to tackle climate change. The region currently includes three forest parks - Grizedale and Whinlatter in Cumbria and Delamere in Cheshire, which will be targeted as a result of the consultaiton, as well as increasing areas of woodland in Manchester and Merseyside as a result of the North West Regional Development Agency-funded Newlands scheme.

Eunice Simmons, chair of the Forestry Commission's regional advisory committee in North West England, said: "The 21st century is bringing increasing pressure on the countryside and our towns and cities from climate change, pollution, and development. "The Forestry Commission is already playing an important role in helping us meet these challenges and make the most of the opportunities. Now we are having this consultation to give everyone the chance to take part in a study to work out the role of a modern Public Forest Estate for the 21st century."