Thanks to your support, we now have the chance to turn a tree-less landscape into a thriving haven for red squirrels and declining woodland birds in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
The land at Snaizeholme is ours! Thanks to thousands of donations to our urgent appeal part of an iconic Yorkshire valley is safe in our hands.
We're delighted that our vision of a mosaic of habitats, where wildlife such as the rare red squirrel and a host of other threatened species can survive and thrive, will become reality.
The careful planting, restoration and natural regeneration work this important upland landscape deserves to ensure its future can soon begin. We can't wait for the hard work to start.
Thank you for helping us create a new haven for wildlife at Snaizeholme.
We're pleased to announce that we've now successfully acquired the land at Snaizeholme, thanks in no small part to the fantastic level of donations we have received from our supporters.
Snaizeholme is currently bleak and bare; 550 acres of windswept grazing land around 20 miles north of Settle, close to the iconic Ribblehead Viaduct in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. We are incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity to buy it and create vibrant new native woodland for wildlife and people.
Estate manager Al Nash answers some of the most common queries about the acquisition of Snaizeholme and our plans for its future in our frequently asked questions.
Completing the sale for the land was only half the story. The hard work to create a mosaic of habitats for wildlife and people here in the Yorkshire moors is just beginning.
Snaizeholme is criss-crossed with old dry stone walls. We'll work to repair and maintain these pieces of history, keeping the landscape's character while providing corridors and shelter for wildlife.
Deer and rabbits cause havoc by browsing and nibbling at newly planted saplings. The Woodland Trust has promised to use plastic-free alternatives to tree guards by the end of 2021 and the trees we plant at Snaizeholme will be included in this pledge.
Leaky stone dams in stream channels fight flooding, trap sediment and reduce erosion. We'll be installing dams at Snaizeholme to slow water flow while letting fish and crayfish safely slip through.
We are looking at planting around 250,000 young, native trees at Snaizeholme, to create varied habitats for wildlife and lock up carbon to fight climate change.
Please note that there is currently very limited parking near Snaizeholme, with parking only for prebooked cars to the current Red Squirrel Trail. You can find details of the Red Squirrel Trail and how to book by picking up a copy of Go Nuts for Red Squirrels from any of the Yorkshire Dales National Park visitor centres.
By bringing this slice of North Yorkshire into our care, we'll be able to achieve a number of important things for people and wildilfe.
Credit: John Bridges / WTML
The site will link and buffer neighbouring woodland – patches of which we suspect is ancient woodland. A crucial part of our vision is to extend and protect an existing red squirrel reserve, providing much-needed habitat for this threatened native species.
Credit: James Reader / Front Row Films
The landscape here is in dire need of trees. Our recently published State of the UK’s Woods and Trees report presented irrefutable evidence on how imperative woodland creation is if we are to tackle the potentially catastrophic loss of nature. Transforming bare land like this with sympathetic native planting, and allowing natural regeneration to occur, forms a critical part of our work.
Credit: Markus Varesvuo / naturepl.com
We have a chance to boost biodiversity at a time when the natural world is in crisis. Woodland birds will have a home here for the first time, and open scrub woodland should attract species like the black grouse. Trees will boost the water quality of the river and beck, safeguarding the resident otters, plus birds such as herons, grey wagtails, kingfishers and dippers.
Credit: Papilio / Alamy Stock Photo
Snaizeholme will become a flagship woodland creation project for the Northern Forest, a partnership between the Woodland Trust and the Community Forests in the north. It sits within Yorkshire’s White Rose Forest, and would form part of the ambitious plan to revitalise the north of England.
While we now own the land at Snaizeholme, we still need to raise at least another £400,000 to carry out the work needed to turn this treeless landscape in to a thriving haven for wildlife. Please support us if you can.
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