More than 10 million trees have now been established across the North of England as part of the Northern Forest scheme, which launched in 2018.
The Northern Forest, a partnership between the Woodland Trust, The Mersey Forest, Manchester City of Trees, the White Rose Forest, Humber Forest and the Community Forest Trust, has now established enough new trees to cover an area the size of 2,800 football pitches through tree planting and creating conditions for trees to reproduce on their own.
The new trees and woodlands have been established in towns, cities and rural locations across an area that stretches from the Mersey to the Humber, including in and around Liverpool, Chester, Preston, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, York, Hull and Beverley.
During the 2024/25 planting season, over 2.2 million new trees were planted across the Northern Forest, the highest annual tree planting recorded since its launch. This includes over 4,100 standard trees in towns and cities, and new hedgerows on farms to benefit wildlife and the resilience of farming businesses.
Thousands of volunteers have been involved in the planting, from local community, school, faith and environmental groups to local businesses, contractors and corporate partners. The Northern Forest programme is working with landowners, local communities and businesses across the region to establish at least 50 million trees across the region.
Trees are vital for clean air, health and wellbeing, as well as driving nature recovery, climate resilience, slowing water flow to reduce flooding and encouraging green growth. Research by the Woodland Trust in 2024 revealed that 9 in 10 people felt that woodland biodiversity has a positive impact on their wellbeing, while UK forests annually remove approximately 18.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – almost 5% of the UK’s emissions.
Nick Sellwood, Northern Forest programme director for the Woodland Trust, said:
“It is incredible that the Northern Forest has passed the milestone of 10 million trees planted in towns, cities and rural areas across the region. It shows the importance of the investment being made by central government and the strong support given to the Northern Forest by decision makers in the region. The core Northern Forest partners are also working to gain additional support from corporate partners and make green finance a bigger component as we look to the next phase of delivery.
“Delivering woodland at this scale involves working with a whole range of partners, funders, community groups, businesses, contractors, thousands of volunteers and an incredible amount of sweat and graft. But it is so rewarding to think of all the families and communities who now live just a short walk from a woodland as a result. They will be able to enjoy all the benefits of trees, from cleaner air to improved mental health, and from flooding reduction to the sound of birdsong.
“It’s also transformative for nature in the region. One oak tree can have 1,000 different species associated with it. Just imagine the number of species of fungi, lichens, insects, birds and other wildlife that will thrive because of these 10 million trees being planted – it’s quite breathtaking. It’s also transforming the region economically. The Northern Forest has provided a £43 million economic uplift for the North of England each year.
“Work doesn’t stop here though. We will keep striving towards our goal of at least 50 million new trees, transforming the landscape across the Northern Forest, helping us become more resilient to the changing climate and providing benefits for people, nature and the economy.”
