New figures show over 13 million trees planted in the Northern Forest - Woodland Trust

Over 13 million trees have now taken root since 2018 as part of the Northern Forest, in an area that stretches from Liverpool to the Humber Estuary, according to recent analysis by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU).

The new data, published on 24 September 2026, reveals that more than 738,000 households in the North of England now have a Northern Forest wooded site within a 15-minute walk of their home. One third of these households are from low-income communities.

Planting has taken place in both urban and rural settings, including in and around Manchester, Leeds and York, as well as rural landscapes like the Peak District. The woodland habitats now cover an area equivalent to just over 9,200 football pitches, bringing green spaces to bustling town and city centres, creating valuable habitats for wildlife and giving more people access to woods and trees. The analysis was conducted by LJMU’s Natural Capital Hub, a leading research centre for understanding the environmental, economic and social benefits of woodlands, wetlands, grasslands and more.

Established in 2018, the Northern Forest is a partnership between the Woodland Trust, the Community Forest Trust and four of the Community Forests in the North of England – The Mersey Forest, City of Trees (Greater Manchester), the White Rose Forest and Humber Forest. The partnership is working to deliver a major programme of environmental and economic transformation by planting at least 50 million trees across the North of England over 25 years.