Yorkshire woodland project plants 50,000 acorns

The saplings are part of plans to plant seven million trees in Yorkshire

Thousands of oak tree saplings are being grown to plant in new woodlands across North and West Yorkshire.

The saplings have been grown from acorns harvested from heritage oaks by volunteers working with Thirsk-based social enterprise KindleWoods.

Of the 70,000 collected about 50,000 were planted at Leeds City Council's Arium tree nursery at Whinmoor.

The saplings will used as part of a project aiming to plant seven million trees over a five-year period.

Katie Rees, director of KindleWoods, said the acorns were collected from locations across North and West Yorkshire.

"We had lots of different people come out, from the Scouts, businesses and members of the public over the course of several weeks," she said

"It was just an amazing thing to do".

She said the acorns were from "ancient and veteran" oaks, trees which have a "rich genetic history".

The saplings produced are due to be planted in 2025 as part of the White Rose Forest, a community forest spanning North and West Yorkshire.

White Rose Forest is the largest of England's community forests and one of four in the north of the country being planted with a view to creating a "Northern Forest" stretching from Merseyside across Manchester and Yorkshire.

Ms Rees said the work of volunteers would mean they had helped create "amazing woodlands for the future".