Sherwood Forest's "Major Oak" circa 1955. The tree, still standing after more than 800 years, sheltered the band of merry men in the Robin Hood legend. (Three Lions/Getty Images)

Ever heard of Robertus Hood, Robert Fitz Odo (aka Fitzooth) or Gilbert Robynhood? As I learned in Jessika’s recent article, each could be the real Robin Hood (although probably is not).

But while the green-hosed bandit’s true identity has famously eluded historians and Robin Hood enthusiasts for centuries, one aspect of the legend is firmly grounded in fact: its setting. Sherwood Forest, Robin’s hangout, once covered western Nottinghamshire and stretched into Derbyshire, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. Today, it still exists in fragments across Nottinghamshire, combining continuously forested woodland with heath. Oaks have covered the area probably since the last ice age.

The former royal hunting ground was managed carefully from Norman times through the 13th century for the pleasure of the king. But as forestry laws slackened and the kings lost interest (James I was the last to regularly hunt in Sherwood), the wood lost its royal protection. Medieval farmers cleared land for pasture; Stuart landowners replaced the monasteries and built manicured estates called The Dukeries; the Georgians began building cotton and corn mills; and in modern times, coal mining and pine forestry encroached on Sherwood’s edges.

However, the nonprofit Sherwood Forest Trust aims to restore and preserve the wood, detailing projects to clear scrub from the forest’s Birklands and Bilhaugh landscapes, as well as thinning the invasive pines that crowd some of the oldest oaks. In 2002, Sherwood became a National Nature Reserve, furthering its protection. That’s good progress for a historical site that draws an annual 400,000 visitors looking not for a building or monument, but for a medieval forest and an elusive hero.

More at HowStuffWorks.com:
Was there a real Robin Hood?
How Deforestation Works
How National Parks Work