Biggest Ever Tree Planting Year for Fast-Expanding Forest
By Jill Dando News
More than 1.9 million trees – enough to fill over 1,200 football pitches – were planted across the Northern Forest in the last year.
This brings the total to nearly eight million new trees since the project began six years ago.
A new map shows the scale of the scheme, which has brought over 87,000 households in deprived areas within 500 metres of woodland.
Nick Sellwood, who leads the Woodland Trust's Northern Forest team, said: "What has been achieved for communities across the North is remarkable, with delivery increasing year on year.
There are now thousands more trees in cities, countryside, and inhospitable places high up in the Dales."
The project, started in 2018, aims to establish 50 million trees over 25 years from Liverpool to Hull. A report by Liverpool John Moores University showed that the new trees have brought a £43 million annual boost for those living in the Northern Forest, with 300,000 extra households now less than 10 minutes' walk from publicly accessible woodland.
Paul Nolan, director of The Mersey Forest, said: "Ensuring everyone has access to woodland and green space is vital for our communities' wellbeing, and trees will play an ever more important role as we adapt to a changing climate."
The Northern Forest Partnership has benefited from Defra funding, contributing to a 52% increase in tree planting rates across England from the previous year.
Success stories include:
- Frodsham Woods, Runcorn: 30,000 trees planted, with 10,000 more encouraged to grow naturally.
- Kirklees: Almost 15 hectares of woodland planted across 11 council-owned sites.
- Eastham Country Park: Over 2,700 trees planted to extend ancient semi-natural woodland.
- Dent Road, Cottingham: 576 trees planted in a community day.
- Onward Homes: 540 whips and 132 standard trees planted across multiple sites in Greater Manchester.
