The View

First ever ‘forest soundmap’ reveals the most listenable woodlands on the planet…

JLS star JB Gill on his enthusiasm for walking and #walk1000miles.

APLEA FOR FOREST sound recordings from around the world has yielded a real treat for the ears, featuring everything from exotic jungle animals to the whooshing of a small waterfall in Norway.

The Global Forest Soundmap was created by organisers of the Timber Festival, an annual music and culture event based in the UK’s National Forest, after the 2020 event was cancelled. Fans were encouraged to send sound recordings from their local woodlands, creating a bank of nearly 1000 clips from across the globe. Venues range from the Malverns in Worcestershire to Yasuni National Park in Ecuador, with a vast range of sounds including lemurs in Madagascar, nightingales in Slovakia and the first cuckoo of spring at the festival’s home base at Feanedock in Leicestershire.*

“We’re beyond thrilled with how many recordings have been contributed,” say project partners Rowan Cannon and Sarah Bird.

“They have provided a source of meditation for many and been used as an inspiration for art and music for others. It has transported thousands of us to forests around the world. In a time where we are physically isolated, the forest soundmap has provided hope and connection.”

This year’s festival is being planned for 2-4 July, but in the meantime you can hear the clips at timberfestival.org.uk/soundsoftheforest/top-sounds. And here are the top five recordings for the UK and the wider world, as measured by page clicks…