Northumberland Storm Arwen-damaged trees to be replaced

Thousands of trees were felled by Storm Arwen across Northumberland in November 2021

About £1.5m of government funding will be used to replace trees damaged by Storm Arwen.

The cash will be used by the Great Northumberland Forest team to support landowners restore trees felled by the storm in November 2021.

More than a million UK properties were left without power and thousands of trees were brought down as a result of severe winds, rain and snow.

The most at-risk woodland areas will be prioritised, officials say.

It is hoped 300 hectares of land across the county will be restored and repaired over the next two years.

Clearing fallen trees is dangerous, difficult and expensive

Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson said the storm had a "devastating" effect on woodland as well as communities, towns and villages.

He added: "It was to the extent that hundreds and hundreds of trees were blown down.

"They will need to be replaced and replanted."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) funding will allow landowners to restore and expand small individual woodlands and shelterbelts of trees which were significantly damaged.

The council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service resilient tree species would be planted, enhancing biodiversity and improving air quality.

It will form part of the authority's goal to reach its carbon neutral target by 2030.

Up to one million trees are due to be planted in the Great Northumberland Forest on land at Monkridge, West Woodburn

Mark Child, programme manager for the Great Northumberland Forest, which plans to plant millions of trees across the county, said he was "thrilled" about the funding.

He added it would help "many landowners dealing with costs associated with timber recovery, clearance, repairs and replanting".

The funding will also go some way to meeting a legal target of increasing tree canopy and woodland cover to 16.5% by 2050 in England.