Latest news with #NorthernForest
BBC News
2 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
The Northern Forest: 10 million trees planted in the north of England
Millions of trees have been planted in the north of England as part of a huge project to boost woodland. So far, 10 million of them have been put in the ground since The Northern Forest project was launched in 2018. The goal is to eventually plant 50 million trees by 2043 in and around cities including Liverpool, Chester, Preston, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, York and Hull. The latest city to benefit from the project is Liverpool, where volunteers have planted 10 hectares of trees in 20 parks across the city, making up just part of the Mersey Forest. The Northern Forest project started back in 2018 to transform the landscape across much of northern 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 of places have already benefitted from the project, including the areas around eight fire stations in Greater Manchester and Oak Road Playing Fields in Hull, which is next to a river prone to flooding. Why are trees so amazing? Trees are 'tree-mendous' for the environment, and here's why. They can play a really important role in tackling some of the effects of climate change. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas which is released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burnt. Scientists say it causes heat from the sun to be trapped, causing temperatures on Earth to rise. But trees work as an air filtration system, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converting it into oxygen, which is released into the air. That's not all. They also provide a home for lots of wildlife around the world. They can help reduce flooding too, by absorbing some of the water and reducing erosion.
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Ten million trees planted in Northern Forest project
More than 10 million trees have been planted as part of a project to boost woodland in the north of England, a conservation charity has Northern Forest scheme is aiming to eventually plant 50 million trees in and around cities including Liverpool, Chester, Preston, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, York and Hull by Nolan, director of The Mersey Forest, said hitting the 10 million milestone was a "fantastic achievement" adding more trees would help with changing climates as well as creating places that are healthier to Sellwood, from the Woodland Trust, said the project involved "an incredible amount of sweat and graft" but was "so rewarding. Examples of places which have benefitted from new trees include the areas around eight fire stations in Greater Manchester and Oak Road Playing Fields in Hull, which is next to a river prone to flooding. 'Healthy lives' The Mersey Forest has also worked alongside Liverpool City Council to deliver 10 hectares of trees in 20 parks across the city with the help of volunteer in Hayhills Farm Wood, near Silsden, Bradford, more than 38,000 trees have been planted with the aim to connect it to four other nearby woodland will benefit "from cleaner air to improved mental health, and from flooding reduction to the sound of birdsong", Mr Nolan added: "Our woodlands and greenspaces are essential to help us adapt to changing climates, to help us live happy, healthy lives and provide neighbourhoods that we're proud to call our home."The Northern Forest is supported by the government's Nature for Climate Minister Mary Creagh said tree planting rates were now "at the highest level in over 20 years" and the government was investing £800m to plant trees across the country. Read more stories from Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X.
