The values of recreation use at six Forestry Commission forests were calculated using the travel cost method. The values vary from £1.26 per visitor at Grizedale to £2.51 at Thetford, with a weighted mean of £1.90. The wildlife attributes of each forest are estimated to contribute about 38 per cent of this value. The figures imply a total annual benefit from the Commission's estate of between £14 million and £45 million; the lower estimate is 50 percent greater than a recent estimate by the National Audit Office. The paper discusses the need for further research, of both state and private forestry, to refine and test these preliminary estimates, and to examine other issues concerning the non-marketed benefits of forestry.