Financial boost for community forests
More than £12 million is to be invested in community forests across England in the next five months. to create 1,235 acres (500 hectares) of new woodland. The Government’s £12.1 million fillip will see more planting in 10 community forest projects from Yorkshire to Somerset. The initiative is being coordinated by national charity The Community Forest Trust, which has been working for more than 25 years to bring nature closer to people and local communities.
Locations include White Rose Forest, spanning Leeds and North and West Yorkshire, The Forest of Marston Vale, Bedfordshire, and the Forest of Avon Trust, covering Bristol and Avon.
“Trees are the backbone of our urban and rural environments and essential in tackling the climate emergency,” said forestry minister Lord Zac Goldsmith.
The Government has pledged to increase tree planting to 30,000 hectares per year across the UK by 2025, alongside peatland restoration and nature recovery.