The Northern Forest

The North of England has significantly less woodland cover than the rest of the country, but not for much longer. With our partners we are planting 50 million trees and transforming the landscape of northern England.

We want to see habitats thrive, planting rates soar, trees and woodland valued and appreciated by all, and our ancient woodlands better protected.

Credit: Jill Jennings / WTML

The North of England is home to 13 million people. However, this beautiful part of the country has just 7.6% of woodland cover, which is significantly lower than the England average.

We're working with The Mersey Forest, City of Trees, White Rose Forest, HEYwoods and the Community Forest Trust to create a new Northern Forest. This will increase woodland cover while bringing endless benefits and opportunities to the people of the North.

The Northern Forest is already in progress, but once complete it will:

help tackle climate change and encourage nature-rich landscapes
reduce the risk of flooding
create thousands of new jobs
cool and clean air in towns and cities
improve health and wellbeing

50 million

trees will be planted around the cities of Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Hull

£2.5 billion

worth of social, economic and environmental benefits will be generated from the project

Support for local authorities

We can help you achieve your climate emergency ambitions with new woodland. Contact us for advice on getting the most from the Nature for Climate Fund.

Be a part of the Northern Forest

We can't create a new Northern Forest without you. This is your chance to help us grow the Northern Forest, make a difference and create something special for the people in and around northern England.

There are several ways you can get involved:

Grow the Northern Forest

Are you interested in helping to grow back greener in the Northern Forest?

If you own or manage land in the area, we can fund up to 100% of the costs of woodland creation and establishment in the Northern Forest area thanks to a grant from the Government’s Nature for Climate Fund. We can provide funding and advice in a wide range of situations including:

riparian zones, valley sides, open farmland and many other locations
to buffer or connect ancient woodland (woodland that has been present since at least 1600 AD) or other existing woods. We can also advise on ancient woodland management.
using natural processes to create new woodland, particularly in sensitive landscapes like National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
working with you to attract a range of funding to help your woodland project deliver multiple benefits.

For more information, please email northernforest@woodlandtrust.org.uk

You can also apply for subsidised trees through our MOREwoods scheme.

Plant trees

Subsidised trees and protection

If you're planting 500+ trees, we can supply trees and protection subsidised by up to 85% if you plant yourself. Costs are subsidised by up to 70% if you'd like us to arrange a contractor to plant them.

Invest in the Northern Forest

While we have generous funding from the government to allow us to proceed with the Northern Forest, a project of this scale requires continuous funding to ensure we meet our target of 50 million trees planted over the next 25 years. Why not invest in the Northern Forest and become one of our partners?

Email northernforest@woodlandtrust.org.uk to find out how.

Volunteer for the Northern Forest

With 50 million trees to plant, we need all hands on deck in order to create the Northern Forest. We're working with Community Forests on regular public tree planting events and we'd love you to be involved.

Find out how volunteer with us.