More than 800 hectares of new woodland have been planted this year across North and West Yorkshire, with support from the White Rose Forest. Approximately 800,000 trees have been planted across 175 projects, representing over 18% of all Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) – funded woodland creation in England during the 2023-2024 planting season.1
The White Rose Forest is the Community Forest for North and West Yorkshire and works with private and public landowners and land managers to plant trees and hedgerows where they will bring the most benefit for the environment and communities across the region.
From planting trees to improve natural flood management at the top of major river catchments and reduce the risk of flooding in Yorkshire’s towns and cities, to transforming outdoor learning spaces in schools, the White Rose Forest team works with landowners to design, fund and plant urban and rural projects of all sizes.
Guy Thompson, Programme Director for the White Rose Forest said:
“Tree planting in the White Rose Forest area has more than doubled over the last year, which is a big boost for biodiversity, climate resilience and the health and wellbeing of our communities across North and West Yorkshire. We could not have achieved this without Defra funding and the commitment and long-term vision of all our landowners.
“Demand for our services continues to grow and we’re now working with our Local Authority and Combined Authority partners to develop our long-term White Rose Forest plan 2025-2050 that will drive future woodland creation and management across North and West Yorkshire for the benefit of us all.”
Some of the 175 projects supported this season include:
- Working with the Woodland Trust to support the planting and protection of 175 hectares of woodland at Snaizeholme in the Yorkshire Dales.
- Working with the National Trust and Yorkshire Water to plant 65,000 trees at March Haigh in the South Pennines near Marsden.
- Creating 42 hectares of new woodland as part of natural regeneration plans at Denton Park Estate near Ilkley.
The White Rose Forest works in partnership with local, regional and national government, as well as private landowners, businesses and community organisations to plant trees across North and West Yorkshire. The team works closely with Defra partners such as the Forestry Commission and Natural England to ensure each project maximises benefits for the land and environment.
The White Rose Forest is the largest of England’s 15 Community Forests, and part of the Northern Forest project which stretches from Liverpool to the Yorkshire Coast. These partnerships are planting millions of trees that will bring people and nature closer together and support much wider social, economic and environmental transformation around some of the largest towns and cities in England.
Tree and hedgerow planting in the White Rose Forest is supported with funding from the Trees for Climate and Grow Back Greener funds, which are part of the Defra Nature for Climate Fund and provide landowners with grants to cover up to 100% of all woodland creation project costs.
For more examples of recent projects visit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOlWJf6FuX4yxOXKcFq9Ggw