One of the boldest projects in the English uplands is about to start with the first trees to go in the ground at Snaizeholme in the Yorkshire Dales.
Here, near Hawes, the Woodland Trust is aiming to plant 291 hectares of a huge site with saplings which would create one of the largest native woodlands in England.
But it’s faced with one of its most challenging of projects – an unforgiving landscape which witnesses everything our weather has to throw at it, high hillsides and gushing streams alongside delicate ancient habitats such as limestone pavements and peatlands. It is a project where habitat restoration and nature recovery are as much a part of the plan as planting.
This first phase of tree planting at Snaizeholme has been funded by the White Rose Forest through its Trees for Climate funding programme. Trees for Climate, part of Defra’s Nature for Climate fund, provides grants for woodland creation within all Community Forest areas in England.
Al Nash, who is spearheading the project for the Woodland Trust, said this weekend - when the first of 100,000 trees will go into the ground in phase one - will be a significant moment for the Woodland Trust.
Mr Nash, a passionate Yorkshireman himself, said: “I love the Dales but the one thing it lacks in many areas is an abundance of trees! Here we will be giving nature and biodiversity a big boost and creating a vibrant mosaic of habitats and a rare opportunity to create a sizeable wildlife haven for the north of England. Woodland birds will have a home here for the first time in centuries, and open scrub woodland should benefit endangered species like the black grouse. It's clearly a wonderful opportunity to create something tangible in the Yorkshire Dales for the fight against climate change. The work we do here will restore an entire ecosystem, lock away carbon for years to come, and help improve water quality and mitigate flooding in the area.”
Posted On: 17/04/2023
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