The Woodland Trust aims to plant 100,000 trees to create England’s largest native woodland in Snaizeholme in the Yorkshire Dales. Despite historically being covered in woodland the 561-hectare valley is now largely barren.
Tree cover in The Dales currently amounts to just 5% of land, with ancient woodland making up just 1%.
Forestry Journal reports that the Woodland Trust aims to raise £8m for a decades-long programme that will restore the forest with largely broadleaved tree species such as alders, birch, willow, aspen, rowan and thorn.
New native woodland will slow water flow, reducing flooding and improving wetlands, while providing additional habitat for otters and kingfishers. The Trust will also manage habitat for red squirrels, lizards and small mammals.
Al Nash, who heads the project for the Woodland Trust, said, “We’ll be giving nature and biodiversity a big boost and creating a vibrant mosaic of habitats and a rare opportunity to create a sizeable wildlife haven for the north of England.
“Woodland birds will have a home here for the first time in centuries, and open scrub woodland should benefit endangered species like the black grouse.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to create something tangible in the Yorkshire Dales for the fight against climate change. The work we do here will restore an entire ecosystem, lock away carbon for years to come, help improve water quality and mitigate flooding in the area.”
The first phase of the planting will begin shortly and the project has received funding from the White Rose Forest, Defra and from corporate donors.