Northern Forest Projects and Partner Stories
A wide range of projects and stories are shared by the Northern Forest partnership throughout the year. To hear more about the latest films being released, visit our Northern Forest YouTube playlist.
Leathley woodland: boosting biodiversity in the Northern Forest
Location: Leathley, North Yorkshire (White Rose Forest area)
Partners: Woodland Trust
The Leathley woodland creation project is transforming 11.25 hectares of farmland in the Northern Forest into a thriving ecosystem of woodlands, wetlands and grasslands. Funded by the Woodland Trust’s Grow Back Greener grant scheme, this project prioritises biodiversity, sustainability and innovative practices to combat climate change.
Explore how the project achieved its ambitious habitat creation goals.
Credit: Jack Hirst / WTML
Credit: White Rose Forest
Ravenshall School: edible hedgerows for outdoor learning
Location: Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
Partners: White Rose Forest, Ravenshall School, Fruitworks CIC
At Ravenshall School in Dewsbury, 142 metres of edible hedgerow and fruit trees have been planted in the forest school and vegetable garden. With support from the White Rose Forest and their Trees for Climate funding, the project provided great learning opportunities while boosting biodiversity and creating a greener school environment.
Wincle Grange: agroforestry for a sustainable future
Location: Wincle, Cheshire
Partners: The Mersey Forest, Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Wincle Grange Farm
At Wincle Grange in the Peak District, a pioneering agroforestry project is integrating trees into a beef farm, benefiting livestock, biodiversity and soil health. With support from The Mersey Forest and Cheshire Wildlife Trust, and funding through Trees for Climate, 11,000 trees have been planted across the 35ha site.
Credit: Rachel Bradshaw / Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Credit: Humber Forest
Winterton Community Orchard: a new green space for all
Location: Winterton, North Lincolnshire
Partners: Humber Forest, Winterton 2022, The Conservation Volunteers, North Lincolnshire Council
A new community orchard in Winterton, North Lincolnshire, has been created with support from Humber Forest. Featuring more than 80 fruit trees, 450 woodland trees and a 250m hedgerow, this project brings benefits for local people, biodiversity and the town’s agricultural heritage.
Explore how a sustainable green space was created for everyone to enjoy.
Penny Lane: cultivating communities in Stockport
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester
Partners: City of Trees, Stockport Council, Friends of Reddish Vale, Together
City of Trees partnered with Stockport Council to create new woodland at Penny Lane, engaging the community in improving this urban greenspace. Close to the town centre and alongside the River Tame, this project enhances biodiversity, mitigates flooding and promotes community pride while contributing to long-term nature recovery in Stockport.
Explore how the power of community action carried this project to completion.
Credit: City of Trees
Credit: Alasdair Fagan / WTML
Nether Timble Farm: creating space for nature
Location: Nether Timble Farm, North Yorkshire (White Rose Forest area)
Partners: Woodland Trust, Nether Timble Farm
Nether Timble Farm’s woodland creation project in the Nidderdale National Landscape created more space for nature while incorporating trees into a working farm. Funded by the Grow Back Greener grant and delivered by the Woodland Trust, the project used natural regeneration woodland planting and low-density wood pasture planting to expand ancient woodland and promote biodiversity and sustainability.
Explore how the project integrated new woodland into a working farm.
March Haigh: partnerships for woodland success
Location: Marsden Moor Estate, West Yorkshire
Partners: White Rose Forest, National Trust
March Haigh is an area of peat moorland and upland clough on the Marsden Moor Estate, owned and managed by the National Trust. In partnership with the White Rose Forest, 63ha of native woodland was planted to enhance biodiversity, mitigate flood risks and help prevent the spread of moorland fires.
Explore how this project delivered success despite planning complexities.
Credit: National Trust
Credit: The Mersey Forest
Kingsley Wood: from waterlogged field to award-winning woodland
Location: Kingsley Wood, Cheshire
Partners: The Mersey Forest
A waterlogged field in Kingsley, Cheshire, has been transformed into a thriving new woodland, complete with a man-made lake to attract wildlife and help with flood management. With guidance and funding from The Mersey Forest, this 2.99ha project captures carbon, boosts biodiversity and encourages others to plant trees on unused land.
Explore how this project brought woodland and wetland together.
Hull Valley: restoring woodlands in East Yorkshire
Location: North Frodingham, East Yorkshire
Partners: Humber Forest, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
A new 0.45-hectare woodland has been planted in North Frodingham, East Yorkshire, enhancing biodiversity and protecting the headwaters of the River Hull. Led by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and supported by Humber Forest, this project will improve flood resilience, water quality and connectivity of the local river valley landscape.
Explore how this priority area for conservation is being restored.
Credit: Humber Forest
Credit: City of Trees
Green jobs: upskilling for employment
Location: Greater Manchester
Partners: City of Trees
City of Trees’ green jobs programme aims to diversify the sector, engaging people in forestry and environmental roles. Through tailored training and partnerships, the programme empowers individuals from non-traditional backgrounds to get involved in green jobs, building a skilled workforce to support urban nature recovery across Greater Manchester.
North Outreach: linking landscapes with miles of hedgerows
Location: across the North of England
Partners: Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust North Outreach team has been partnering with organisations across the Northern Forest to create over 75km of hedgerows, enhancing biodiversity, connecting habitats and benefiting farmers. These have ranged from flood management hedgerows in lowland plains, to shelter creation in upland pastures and extensive new biodiverse hedgerow networks across arable farms.
Explore more about the benefits these hedgerows bring to people and nature in the Northern Forest.
Credit: Alice Helliwell
Credit: Leeds City Council
Greening Leeds: woodland creation along the East Leeds Orbital Route
Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire
Partners: White Rose Forest, Leeds City Council
Trees and woodland have transformed the environment around an important new road system and active travel routes in east Leeds. Spanning 14ha across two sites, tree planting along the East Leeds Orbital Route (ELOR) creates wildlife corridors, improves air quality, and contributes to Leeds City Council’s net zero targets.
Explore how this project balanced development with sustainability.
Community planting: expanding woodland at Eastham Country Park
Location: Eastham Country Park, Merseyside
Partners: The Mersey Forest, Wirral Council
Eastham Country Park in Wirral has benefited from tree planting to create 1.73ha of new woodland. Thanks to funding from Trees for Climate and the hard work of community volunteers, this new woodland will boost biodiversity, capture carbon and provide new green spaces for local people to enjoy.
Explore how this ancient semi-natural woodland has been expanded.
Credit: The Mersey Forest
Credit: Humber Forest
Dent Road: creating a woodland for the community
Location: Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Partners: Humber Forest, Hull City Council, Rewilding Youth
Hull City Council has planted new trees alongside Dent Road, creating a small woodland for the community to enjoy and enhancing the area for wildlife. With support from Humber Forest and Rewilding Youth, this urban woodland balances tree planting with recreational space, ensuring long-term benefits for residents, wildlife and sustainability.
Explore how the project engaged local people with a hands-on approach to woodland creation.
Citizen Foresters: for better health, wellbeing and greenspaces
Location: Greater Manchester
Partners: City of Trees
The City of Trees Citizen Forester programme sees volunteers getting involved in hands-on woodland activities such as tree planting, maintenance and education to improve local greenspaces. It’s also great for boosting community wellbeing. Citizen Forester events help provide people with the power needed to maintain and develop the urban forest.
Explore how the Citizen Forester programme is benefiting communities.
Credit: City of Trees
Credit: Broughton Sanctuary
England's largest new woodland creation scheme in 2021
Location: Broughton Sanctuary, North Yorkshire
Partners: Broughton Sanctuary, White Rose Forest, Craven District Council and the Forestry Commission
The 2020-2021 planting season marked the start of a large-scale rewilding and natural regeneration project, with 230,000 native trees being planted on a 160-hectare site.
Explore how the new woodland at Broughton Sanctuary is having a positive impact and helping the White Rose Forest's community forest and the Northern Forest grow.
Fostering long-term resilience and building a future for biodiversity
Location: Smithills Estate, Greater Manchester
Partners: Greater Manchester's Community Forest, City of Trees
In order to help Smithills Estate remain resilient in the face of changes and provide a home to biodiversity we are ensuring that the right trees are planted in the right place, and the right management practices are undertaken.
Explore how the Estate is being transformed for nature and people alike, providing a haven for wildlife, while retaining it's productivity for tenant farmers. Learn about the planting activities, the work to combat the spread of disease and the use of pioneering solutions to maintain the moorland and help stem flooding.
Credit: Phil Formby / WTML