A scene from the play Three Words for Forest, featuring Charlotte Driessler, Helen Cuinn and Tam Dean Burn
Here at RSFS, we are delighted to support the Three Words for Forest Project, which culminated in the launch of their website https://threewordsforest.org.uk in February 2026.
Three Words for Forest: Exploring Uncertainty in a Time of Climate Crisis has been developed by the University of Glasgow’s Professor Deirdre Heddon and Dr Rachel Clive, in collaboration with an interdisciplinary research team, UK and European forestry specialists and a professional creative team. The acclaimed verbatim play explores the uncertainties facing UK forests in a time of climate change and draws on 30 interviews with professionals working across the forestry sector (including some RSFS members!) to understand the uncertainties they and the forests they work with are facing in the current global climate crisis.
The play has been shared widely and resources now supporting further engagement have been co-created with a wide range of collaborators, across the UK including Govanhill Baths, Glasgow; Green Routes, Stirling; Mearns Castle High School, The Conservation Volunteers, Outdoor and Woodland Learning Scotland and Forest Research.
The play and new resources are part of the Future of UK Treescapes programme and its newLEAF project, which explored how trees adapt to climate change - and the role of humans in that process. The newLEAF project, which was funded from 2023 to 2025, helped to support the UK government’s net-zero ambitions by exploring how trees, woodlands and forests can become more resilient to climate change, disease, and land-use pressures. With only 13% of the UK covered by woodland, the government has pledged to plant millions of trees annually. But resilience depends on informed decisions and public awareness and engagement.
Members of the RSFS team were delighted to be at the launch of the new website. The new resources, available on the Three Words for Forest website, includes screening and discussion templates, lesson plans and creative workshop guides, all shaped through collaboration with forestry, educational and community organisations to support meaningful engagement with forest-related issues. The launch event brought together the partners who helped shape the new materials.
The project’s creators, Dr Rachel Clive and Professor Deirdre Heddon. Credit Martin Shields
Professor Deirdre Heddon, the project’s Principal Investigator and James Arnott Chair in Drama at the University of Glasgow, said: “One of the clearest messages from our research is that people want to know more about forests but often feel disconnected from the conversations and decisions shaping their future. The verbatim theatre play and the new resources created are designed to change that by helping schools, communities and young people build a stronger sense of forest citizenship”.
Dr Rachel Clive, the Creative Lead of the play who worked intensively with disabled experts and community organisations to create the accessible film versions and learning resources, said “We’re delighted to celebrate the launch of the resources with so many of the people and organisations who have collaborated with us along the way. We hope that these will open up new opportunities to engage with trees and forests in accessible and creative ways. The resources can also support more open conversations across issues that can sometimes be quite polarising.”
The project received funding from Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to widen access to and engagement with the filmed theatre production through creating audio-described, British Sign Language interpreted and supported viewing formats alongside resources.
Dee and Rachel, alongside David Edwards from Forest Research took part in the RSFS Forest Lights series to talk more about how the project came about and their reflections on the play. You can watch that event here: