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

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 a landowner interested in helping us grow the Northern Forest? Funding is available to assist with large scale planting in the Northern Forest area, with support from Defra. You can apply for support for up to 50% of eligible cost.

thenorthernforest.org.uk

Funding for innovative Northern Forest projects

Funding is now available for large scale woodland creation delivered through innovative models and mechanisms. Apply by 31 July 2020 for planting in the 2020/21 planting season. Find out more.

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 partners@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.