Why are a million more trees being planted in the 'Northern Forest'?

Trees are great at absorbing CO2

Almost £15 million will be used to pay for more than a million new trees which will be planted across the north of England.

It's all part of the Northern Forest project which was launched three years ago to introduce at least 50 million trees across an area covering several cities including Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Hull.

The funding, which has been provided by the government, will help create at least 1,660 acres of woodland.

What's the idea behind the project?

The Northern Forest project will see at least 50 million trees planted across an area covering several northern cities

The Northern Forest project started back in 2018 to transform the landscape across much of northern England.

The area covered by the scheme is said to be home to 13 million people. However, only 7.6% of it is covered by woodland which is a lot less compared to the UK average of 13%.

It's hoped the planting of 50 million trees will benefit local communities and help wildlife thrive.

How do trees help fight climate change?

Climate change is having a significant impact on the planet, but trees can play a really important in tackling some of the effects.

It's because they take in carbon dioxide. or CO2, during photosynthesis. CO2 is one of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned and these gases trap heat from the sun, warming up the Earth and causing temperatures to rise.

Trees do a fantastic job at absorbing CO2, so the more trees there are, the better this could be for the environment!

Some scientists say planting more trees will help us slow down climate change.

How will the funding be used?

It's hoped more woodland will make people across the North happier and healthier

The latest funding for the Northern Forest project will help plant another million trees during the next year.

£6 million will go directly to the organisation and £8.8 million will go to community forests within the area through the Trees for Climate programme.

"This new funding is massively significant for this project and enables us to push on with this new phase," said Simon Mageean who is the Woodland Trust's programme director for the Northern Forest.

"It will allow us to establish over one million new trees this winter and connect them better to the wider landscape, together with new woodlands in urban areas and rural areas across the Northern Forest.

"Not only do these new trees have the power to transform people's lives through all the green space they bring in areas of traditionally low tree cover, they are also set to bring a big boost to our fight against climate change and encourage nature recovery."