MORE than 800 hectares of new woodland have been created across the region during the past year with support from the White Rose Forest.

A total of 175 projects saw around 800,000 trees planted in the 2023-24 season, new figures show.

Together the schemes represented over 18 per cent of all woodland creation nationally funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The White Rose Forest, which works with private and public landowners in West and North Yorkshire on tree and hedgerow planting initiatives, welcomed the findings.

Its projects range from improving natural flood management at the top of major river catchments, to help protect towns and cities, to transforming outdoor learning spaces on school sites.

Guy Thompson, programme director with the White Rose Forest, says: "Tree planting in our 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 a long-term plan for 2025-2050, which will drive future woodland creation and management across the region for the benefit of all."

Projects supported during the 2023-24 planting season have included a venture with the National Trust and Yorkshire Water to plant 65,000 trees in the South Pennines, and the creation of 42 hectares of new woodland as part of natural regeneration plans at the Denton Park estate near Ilkley.

The White Rose Forest is the largest of England’s 15 community forests and forms part of the Northern Forest project, which stretches from Liverpool to the Yorkshire coast.

Mr Thompson adds: "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 schemes, which are part of the Defra Nature for Climate Fund and provide landowners with grants to cover up to 100 per cent of all woodland creation project costs."

For further information about the White Rose Forest, go to whiteroseforest.org