50 Million New Trees to Be Planted in the North

It is hoped that the Northern Forest will help play a part in tackling climate change in Greater Manchester and the North.

 

Trees are vital in our fight against climate change. They absorb carbon dioxide and provide us with oxygen, as well as absorbing rainfall as the climate get more and more erratic. At the moment though, only 7.6% of the North of England has woodland cover, significantly lower than the national average of 13% in the UK. Thankfully this should soon change as the Woodland Trust are working with partners The Mersey Forest, City of Trees, White Rose Forest, HEYwoods and the Community Forest Trust to plant millions of new trees in the North of England.

 

The Northern Forest will involve 50 million new trees being planted around the cities of Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Hull. It is hoped that this exciting project will tackle climate change, reduce flooding and improve health and wellbeing, as well as creating thousands of new jobs. 

 

 

The Royal College of Physicians estimates that around 40,000 premature deaths each year are caused by air pollution. Trees help to clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide, as well as quietening city noise, and generally add to our health and wellbeing. They also provide a habitat for many species of birds and animals, creating biodiversity, which is important for providing us with water, food and fresh air. 

It is predicted that The Northern Forest has the potential to absorb up to 7.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2050.

 

 

 

There are lots of ways you can help with the project, which is already underway. If you are a landowner, funding is available to assist with large scale planting in the Northern Forest area. You can also donate money to help fund the planting of trees in the North. Or if you have some time on your hands, why not volunteer, as with 50 million trees to plant, many hands do indeed make light(er) work! 

 

City of Trees aims to plant a tree for every man, woman and child that lives in the Greater Manchester region, and has planted 459,929 trees to date, managing 264.29 hectares if woodland.  It hosts a variety of tree-planting events throughout Greater Manchester. To find an event near you, see here.