This OSRS Forestry guide covers everything you need to know about Forestry: how to get started, how to complete events, & how to get bark fast.
Forestry changed the way we train woodcutting. The skill now inspires social gameplay, features events to break up the monotony of the skill, and has some fun new rewards.
But most importantly, you get better experience rates, for essentially the same thing.
Visual learners may benefit from my quick guide below, or continue reading this article.
This Forestry Guide is part of our 
1 – 99 Woodcutting Guide.
What is Forestry?
Forestry is a Woodcutting Rework that was first released in June 2023. The update changed the core mechanics of the Woodcutting skill and introduced events and new rewards to the game.
The main purpose of Forestry was to make Woodcutting a fun social activity again, similar to how it felt in the early 2000’s. And they smashed it out of the park. Even months after the rework, Woodcutting is thriving!
Thanks to the Forestry update, Woodcutting is much more social than before. Instead of people hopping worlds to find an empty spot in the Woodcutting Guild, everyone is back to chopping in all the classic, nostalgic locations!
What did it change?
Forestry made three core changes to woodcutting:
- Each tree now depletes on a timer
- Players now get a +1 level boost for each player on the same tree (capped at +10)
- Forestry events
One of the main headaches training woodcutting (pre-forestry) was that you would get worse experience rates the more people were chopping the same tree, as this meant they depleted faster.
Forestry not only changed this by adding set timers to trees (e.g. a willow tree depletes after 30 seconds, regardless of how many people are on it) but also offers players a +1 invisible level boost for each player chopping the same tree.
Thus offering players faster experience, when they chop together.
The final change is events, which can spawn at random in a 20-tile radius of your tree spot. Participating in these events rewards you with Anima Infused Bark (reward-currency) and Woodcutting experience.
Most of these events go faster the more people are in your tree spot which is again why it’s important to be social and chop together with other players in Forestry worlds.
The most populated Forestry world is world 444.
How to start Forestry
To start Forestry, you can collect your free Foresters’ Kit from the Freaky Forester in Draynor Village or Seers’ Village.
This Foresters’ Kit is a wearable backpack that will automatically pick up items dropped during Woodcutting and Forestry Events such as Tree Leaves and Anima Infused Bark (and many other things).
Next, make your way to an Official Forestry World. The most populated one is 444.
In these worlds, everyone is chopping trees meaning you always have the +10 invisible Woodcutting boost!
PROTIP: Enable Forestry Plugin for Runelite
Players who use Runelite (we recommend every OSRS player uses it) should make sure they have the Woodcutting plugin enabled. This plugin has recently been updated to include additional features for Forestry Events.
Whenever an event spawns, you get a Runelite notification so you never miss them even when AFKing.
Furthermore, the plugin is super helpful during events such as Struggling Sapling & Flower Bushes as it saves the right answers for you.
Forestry events
There are 9 total Forestry events. Here’s a quick run-down.
Struggling Sappling
This is a puzzle event in which a chopped tree turns into a ‘Struggling Sapling’ and players have to add mulch to revive the sapling.
Players can add mulch by collecting from the resource piles (droppings, green leaves, splintered bark, wild mushrooms & rotting leaves) that briefly spawn during this event.
The right combination of mulch is always random.
Here’s the strategy:
- Grab 1 random ingredient 3 times and add it to the sapling
- Rinse and repeat until you know the three ingredients
Players will often call out what the right combination is so the event can speed up!
Reward: Successfully reviving the tree grants you Woodcutting Experience, Anima Infused Bark, and 20 random tree leaves.
Pheasant Event
The Pheasant event spawns a bunch of Pheasant nests and the freaky forester. You have to grab eggs from the nests that don’t have a pheasant sitting on them, and deliver it to the Freaky Forester.
If you fail (e.g. grab an egg from a nest with a pheasant on it) you will be briefly stunned.
Reward: Pheasant-tail feathers, chance at golden egg
Roots
During the roots event, tree roots appear. Chopping these rewads you with woodcutting experience. Always look out for the Anima-Infused roots as these reward Anima Infused bark and increased experience.
TIP: Runelite highlights the Anima-Infused Roots (as pictured) when the Woodcutting Plugin is enabled.
Reward: Anima Infused Bark, Woodcutting experience
Flowers
During the flower event, several Flowering Bushes appear in the area.
It’s your job to find Strange Pollen by clicking on the bushes and then use it on the matching bush to pollinate it.
TIP: Enable the Woodcutting Plugin in Runelite to automatically see the correct bushes to pollinate as shown in the screenshot
Reward: Anima Infused Bark, Woodcutting experience
Ritual Event
The ritual event is an odd-one-out puzzle. If you have Runelite enabled, you just have to stand on the highlighted tile.
Reward: Woodcutting experience
Leprechuan
When a leprechuan spawns, speak with him to deposit your logs to the bank. He’ll also spawn rainbows, if you stand on their tile, you’ll get increased experience on your next chop.
Entling event
When entlings spawn, you have to give them a haircut according to their instructions.
E.g. ‘Short back and sides’ requires you to prune their back and sides.
Reward: egg birds nest
Fox event
The fox event spawns a fox and poachers trying to capture it. They’ll lay down traps on the floor and you can dismantle them by clicking on them.
Reward: Anima Infused Bark, Woodcutting experience, chance at fox whistle
Beehive
The beehive event requires you to finish a beehive by depositing logs. Many players choose to skip this event as it doesn’t reward much and takes your logs.
Reward: construction exp
Which events to prioritize
The events can be divided into two categories:
Events that offer Woodcutting Experience and Bark, such as flowers, fox, sapling & roots.
and events that offer uniques: ents, fox, pheasant.
For example, the Pheasant event offers a chance to obtain the golden egg which can transmog the beaver pet (requires you to have it first) into a pheasant.
Similarly, the fox event’s Fox Whistle transmogs the beaver into a fox pet.
Participating in the entling event rewards you with ‘egg bird nests’ which can be used to obtain pieces of the Evil Chicken outfit.
With that in mind, some players may choose to ignore certain events (e.g. unique events) as they will result in less woodcutting experience per hour.
Recent Forestry nerf
Forestry has recently been nerfed (as of February 2024) to prevent players from ‘farming events’ by hopping from one Forestry event to another. This was the meta for quite a while as it could result in over 5,000 bark per hour.
Not only did this convert into really good woodcutting experience, but it also meant you could make pretty good money with Forestry if you spent your bark on Felling Axe Handles and selling them at the grand exchange.
I actually covered this meta on my youtube channel urging players to check it out, before it was going to be nerfed.
Post-nerf, it’s not possible to farm events as you can only participate in events in a 20-tile radius, after having chopped 2 full trees. There’s also a 3-minute timer that prevents you from hopping to other locations but still gives you enough time to head to the bank.
Forestry rewards
The Anima Infused Bark you receive from events can be used in the reward shop (Freaky Forester). Here, you can buy a bunch of rewards but the most important ones are:
- Felling Axe Handle
- Log basket
- Lumberjack outfit
Two-handed axes
Forestry brought us two-handed axes, which are better than their single-handed counterparts, providing 10% more experience. This is balanced a little by giving you a 20% chance of not obtaining a log but still getting the experience for it.
Furthermore, these axes must be fueled using Foresters’ Rations.
To make a two-handed axe (or felling axe), purchase the Felling Axe Handle for 10,000 bark and combine it with your Dragon Axe.
OR you can purchase the Dragon Felling Axe directly from the Grand Exchange.
Players with Song of the Elves completed, can upgrade their Dragon Felling Axe (or Crystal Axe, if they have one) into a Crystal Felling Axe.
According to the Wiki, the Crystal axe is 4.5% faster than the Dragon Felling Axe.
The crystal felling axe also needs to be charged with crystal seeds, but I found you break even if you chop yew trees, magic trees, or teak trees in Prifddinas in world 444 (Forestry).
Log basket
The log basket allows you to carry up to 28 extra logs. It can also be equipped in the cape slot.
To get it, you’ll need 5,000 Anima Infused Bark as well as 300 noted Oak and Willow Logs.
If you want to equip the Log Basket and Forestry Kit, you can by combining the two with a Sturdy Harness into a Forestry Basket.
The Sturdy Harness can be bought from the Grand Exchange or you can make it yourself.
Lumberjack Outfit & Forestry Outfit
The Lumberjack Outfit, which was already in the game through the Temple Trekking minigame, can now be bought from the Forestry Shop as well.
This outfit gives a 2.5% Woodcutting Experience boost when the full outfit is equipped.
Players with excess bark can also choose to transform their lumberjack outfit pieces into Forestry outfit pieces. You can even mix and match them! But do keep in mind that the Forestry outfit holds no extra benefits over the lumberjack outfit, it’s just a recolor!
Other Rewards:
- Log Brace – Used to make Sturdy Harness
- Clothes pouch blueprint – Used to Clothes Pouches
- Funky Shaped Log – remorg for beaver pet
- Twitchers Gloves – allows you to set your preferred birds nest + increased spawn
Which Forestry Rewards to prioritize
Here is a list of rewards you should prioritize to maximize Woodcutting Efficiency:
- Felling Axe Handle (10,000 Anima-Infused Bark) OR purchase a two-handed axe from GE
- Log Basket (5,000 Anima-Infused Bark)
- Lumberjack Outfit (5,000 Anima-Infused Bark)
After that, you can get any reward you want next.
How to Make Foresters’ Rations
You can make your own Foresters’ Rations by combining tree leaves (dropped in your Forestry kit when chopping trees) with Cooked Fish.
The higher the level of fish and tree leaves you use, the more rations you receive based on the following calculation:
Tree Leaves:
- Normal Leaves: 2 Rations
- Oak Leaves: 4 Rations
- Willow Leaves: 6 Rations
- Maple Leaves: 8 Rations
- Yew Leaves: 10 Rations
- Magic Leaves: 12 Rations
Cooked Fishes:
- Level 1 – 33 Fish: 1x Rations
- Level 34 – 69 Fish or Cooked Meat: 2x Rations
- Level 70 – 99 Fish: 3x Rations
So for example, if you were to combine a Cooked Shark (X3) with Magic Leaves (12) as shown above you would get 36 total Rations.
Alternatively, Foresters’ Rations can also be bought from the Grand Exchange.
Wrap Up
That’s it for our OSRS Forestry Guide. The Forestry Update provided us with some nice Quality of Life updates for the Woodcutting Skill. The Events are fun, have nice rewards and Forestry itself is much more social now!
Hopefully, this has taught you everything you needed to know about the Forestry update.
Want to level up using Forestry? Check out our Woodcutting Training Guide here: 1 – 99 Woodcutting Guide.
