Kirklees part of plans to plant seven million trees across yorkshire

The White Rose Forest Action Plan 2021-25 sets out how tree planting can be accelerated across the region over the next four years to build up to a sustained annual target of approximately 3000 hectares per year from 2025 onwards.

Beyond 2025, research undertaken by the partnership suggests that North and West Yorkshire has the capacity to increase tree canopy cover from 11% (recorded in 2018) to 19% by 2050. This would mean planting approximately 160 million trees over the next 29 years.

The White Rose Forest is supported by a partnership of experts from the Forestry Commission, national park authorities, local government, charities, community groups and businesses in North and West Yorkshire who have all contributed to the Action Plan.

The Action Plan is backed by increased funding for tree planting within the White Rose Forest following the launch of the Government’s Nature for Climate fund in 2020.

Councillor Will Simpson, Kirklees Council Cabinet Member for Climate and Environment, said: “In Kirklees we have committed to making our brough carbon neutral by 2038 and an essential part of our ambition is tree planting.

“In addition to the many initiatives we have introduced locally to encourage greener travel, we also need to do all we can to actively remove carbon from the air and tree planting is one of the best ways to do that.

“The White Rose Forest is a ground-breaking scheme that we’re proud to be leading. The planting of seven million trees by 2025 shows how seriously we in Kirklees. alongside the rest of West and North Yorkshire, take our role in addressing the climate crisis and building a cleaner, greener future for everyone.”

The White Rose Forest partnership has commissioned the United Bank of Carbon team at the University of Leeds to scientifically assess how much CO2 could be removed from the atmosphere through tree planting across North and West Yorkshire.

Guy Thompson, White Rose Forest Programme Director, said: “There has never been a better time to plant trees thanks to the competitive funding and support now available for landowners and farmers. The White Rose Forest partnership is here to support all landowners in North and West Yorkshire.”

“The White Rose Forest Action Plan is ambitious because we need to respond to the climate emergency. As a community forest, our local communities are at the heart of everything we do. Every tree planted in the White Rose Forest will benefit communities across North and West Yorkshire, from helping prevent flooding along river valleys to improving the air we breathe.”