Sounds of the Forest

Back in May 2020, we asked our global community to submit one-minute sound recordings of woodlands near where they live to contribute to the first global forest soundmap. Sounds of the Forest was created to encourage others across the globe to share in the harmonies of the natural world, a perfect reflection of Timber itself, which connects festival-goers to the physical National Forest in the Midlands each summer.

Over 550 people from more than 50 countries have now contributed short audio postcards. The map is being updated regularly as more people record their local woodlands. So far it has sounds from every continent except Antarctica. The innovative ways that people have been using the recordings have encouraged us to keep submissions open. Anyone can participate by taking a one-minute recording of their own local woodland.

Not only the sounds of trees, but also the diverse noises of animals across the world have been recorded, from the howls of lemurs in Madagascar to evening nightingale songs in Slovakia and the melodious calls from the Micronesian Starling. Recordings from British woodlands include the first cuckoo of the year heard at Feanedock itself, the site of Timber festival. Thousands of trees have been planted across the former mining landscape surrounding Feanedock, and the wildlife is thriving.

The map also serves as an archive of ecosystems under threat by climate change, recording areas in stress and others being transformed. One entry was recorded at Redwood Grove in Santa Cruz, California before the area was badly burned by this summer’s devastating wildfires. Another from Cape Kimberly in Australia details the success of a project by Rainforest Restoration, which has protected an area of high conservation value rainforest from development.