THE New Forest has always been one of the jewels in the crown of the English countryside - but this year that crown jewel is set to be brighter than ever.

The green leaves of the oaks, sycamores, chestnuts and a variety of other trees have been turning for weeks and now the advice from the experts is: "Make the most of this beautiful autumn. You may never see a better one."

Trees like beech, larch, horse chestnut, birch and willow are also taking on their autumn colours but Helen Wood, of the Forestry Commission at Lyndhurst, said: "The best is yet to come.

"In some areas, the trees have already turned to their autumn colours. But it will be a week or two before it reaches that beautiful peak of all its autumn glory.

"It is not just the trees though. The bracken is a stunning colour this year and has gone that wonderfully vivid orangey colour.

"If the good weather continues and we can stay clear of strong winds, it will be one of the most fantastic autumn seasons anyone has seen."

There is a scientific reason, with experts explaining that the hot dry summer has played its part in making the trees turn to those rich red and golden colours.

Chlorophyll is produced in the spring and summer and is stored in the leaves as sugar - and because of the weather, there's more sugar than usual. When the temperature drops and the chlorophyll production stalls, the reds and golds come bursting through. Nick Collinson, of the Woodland Trust, commented: "It comes down to the concentration of sugar in the leaves. The higher the concentration, the more vivid the colour."

The Forestry Commission even has its own glory meter which tracks and rates the colours of the trees nationwide.

"The lowest concentration of autumn colour is given a rating of one, right through to a five. At present it has got to three but is creeping up - and when it gets to five it really will be something," said Miss Wood.

The ratings are on the Commission's website, which can be found at www.forestry.gov.uk