Historically, local business has revolved around the forests and agriculture. Certainly for centuries after the conquest the forest and hunting for the royalty of the day provided most of the revenue for local people. Once Royal patronage was gradually withdrawn the forests would have slowly given way to agriculture. In 1912 the Bolsover Mining Company started to sink a shaft in what was to become New Clipstone. Work stopped on the shaft during the 1st World War and was restarted and completed shortly afterwards. To this day Clipstone Colliery has produced coal. In Mansfield and the surrounding areas the main industry was and still is the hosiery trade. However this as well as coal production is in decline with various hosiery factories and possibly Clipstone Colliery to close soon. Traditional industries such as these are giving way to small industrial developments with the main emphasis on light engineering.

Forestry still has it’s part to play and Sherwood Pines Forest Park whilst placing greater and greater emphasis on tourism and leisure is still a working forest, with the majority of managed woodland cut producing pit props and wedges and timber for garden fencing.

Gone are the days when rank after rank of gloomy pines pervaded the landscape. Today the forest is imaginatively managed with all new plantations surrounded by broadleaf trees. The benefits of this is twofold, it helps protect the pines which are shallow rooted and also provides natural habitats for native species of fauna.

The Robin Hood legend is now being recognised and its full potential as an international tourist attraction is becoming a major employer of local people.