The Northern Forest is a proposed forest in England to encompass five community forests. The aim is to plant 50 million trees by 2032 which would provide a timber industry, leisure opportunities and environmental benefits. Initial funding for the project was granted by the British government in January 2018. The proposed forest has been welcomed by the

Woodland Trust The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland heritage. It has planted over 50 million trees since 1972. The Woodland Tr ...

Aims

The proposed forest would run the whole width of England from

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

and Chester in the west to the coastline of the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

and would include the cities of

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

and Hull. The forest scheme is led by the

and would incorporate five community forests: the

Mersey Forest The Mersey Forest is a network of woodlands and green spaces being created across Merseyside and North Cheshire by a wide-ranging partnership of different organisations including local authorities, community groups and businesses. The Mersey Fore ...

, Manchester's City of Trees, th
[White Rose Forest]
the South Yorkshire Forest an
Humber Forest
Nolan, p. 407 The aim is to plant 50 million trees in the 25 years between 2017 and 2042, a trebling of current planting rates in the area; this would help to increase the rate of

reforestation Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands (forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting. Management A debat ...

in England, which is at record low rates and may currently be outweighed by the rate of deforestation for the first time in decades.Nolan, p. 408 The area currently has less than 8% tree coverage, one of the lowest proportions in the country. The scheme was developed as an environmental counterpart to the government's

Northern Powerhouse The Northern Powerhouse is a proposal to boost economic growth in the North of England by the 2010–15 coalition government and 2015–2016 Conservative government in the United Kingdom, particularly in the " Core Cities" of Hull, Manchester ...

strategy. The trees proposed are a mix of native and non-native broad leaf trees and high-yield coniferous trees.Nolan, p. 411 The forest would seek to provide timber and biomass for industry as well as a leisure resource, reduce flood risk and improve air and water quality. It is hoped that a market for timber could be found in the biomass power stations in the

M62 motorway The M62 is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting Liverpool and Hull via Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield; of the route is shared with the M60 orbital motorway around Manchester. The road is part of th ...

corridor, which generate up to 10% of the UK's electricity and require up to 10 million tonnes of fuel per year.Nolan, p. 413 The initial planting will be close to the cities, with an aim to increase coverage in this area to 20%. The next priority would be river valleys where reforestation will help reduce flood risk. The more remote portions would be planted towards the end of the 25-year programme.

Funding

The cost of the project has been estimated at £500 million, whilst economic benefits are estimated at over £2.5 billion. The UK government granted initial funding of £5.7 million to the project in January 2018. There is hope that mitigation funding from infrastructure projects such as the extension of the

High Speed 2 High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages. The new line will run from its m ...

rail scheme and major road schemes will be made available in the future. It is also hoped that there may be funding as

agricultural subsidies An agricultural subsidy (also called an agricultural incentive) is a government incentive paid to agribusinesses, agricultural organizations and farms to supplement their income, manage the supply of agricultural commodities, and influence the ...

are redirected after

Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC ...

References

External links

Woodland Trust
Forests and woodlands of England Community-based forestry Reforestation Conservation in England Northern England 2017 establishments in England 2017 in science

Aims

Funding

See also

References

Further reading

External links