134 Million New Trees for Yorkshire

The White Rose Forest has launched a plan to plant 134 million trees to create a greener, healthier and more climate-resilient Yorkshire.

The White Rose Forest partnership has launched its Strategic Plan 2025–2050 at an event attended by the Mayors of West Yorkshire and York and North Yorkshire as well as senior representatives from across the partnership, making a bold commitment to create a greener, healthier, and more climate-resilient Yorkshire.

The White Rose Forest Strategic Plan 2025-2050 is the long-term tree and woodland strategy for North and West Yorkshire. The plan has been approved by the White Rose Forest board, which includes all local authorities, combined authorities and national park authorities across the region, and will be delivered in partnership with landowners, local community organisations, businesses, charities and Defra. 

The Plan sets out the partnership’s collective ambition to increase tree and woodland cover from 12% to 16.5% by 2050, with a stretch target of 18.5%, which equates to up to 134 million trees planted across North and West Yorkshire. It also aims to ensure 70% of woodland is sustainably managed, improve equitable access to green spaces, and help thousands of local people get involved in tree planting and woodland management each year. 

To mark the launch, the Mayors of West Yorkshire and York and North Yorkshire planted an oak tree on Woodhouse Moor, also known as Hyde Park, in Leeds.

The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, said:

“We’re incredibly lucky to have the coast and countryside on our doorstep, but for many people in our towns and cities, those spaces can still feel like a long way away.   

“When we know how important spending time in nature is for our mental and physical wellbeing, we need to do more to make it more accessible. 

“So by working with West Yorkshire to plant millions of trees every year, we are connecting our communities with nature, tackling climate change and growing our White Rose Forest.” 

The Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, said:

“I want every child in West Yorkshire to grow up with nature on their doorstep, and the White Rose Forest is helping to make that possible.

“This is about rolling up our sleeves, taking practical steps to tackle the climate emergency and create a greener, more vibrant region that works for all.

“Together, we’re growing a well-wooded landscape that will strengthen our resilience and support our communities’ wellbeing for generations to come.”

Iwan Downey, Programme Director for the White Rose Forest, said:

“The White Rose Forest partnership is driving forward tree planting and management where it is needed the most across North and West Yorkshire. This Strategic Plan builds on our success over the last 25 years and sets out a clear roadmap for the next 25. It’s about collective action – from the White Rose Forest team, local authorities and businesses to communities and landowners – to create a resilient, healthy and prosperous landscape for our communities, for nature and for growth.”

The group says that trees provide a huge range of direct and indirect benefits for nature and environment, community health and wellbeing and our economy. They say that the White Rose Forest Strategic Plan 2025-2050 presents "a vision to create a vast and varied and connected treescape across North and West Yorkshire and protect and restore more of the woodland we already have."

The White Rose Forest Strategic Plan includes the following key targets for 2050:

• Increase tree and woodland cover from 12% to 16.5% (stretch target 18.5% or up to 134 million trees planted)
• Increase sustainably managed woodland from 62% to 70%
• Increase the number of households close to accessible woodland from 25% to 50%
• Increase funding for trees and woodland to up to 50% from non-public sector sources
• Engage up to 16,000 people each year in tree planting and management 

The White Rose Forest is the Community Forest for North and West Yorkshire, part of the England’s Community Forests network, and a founding member of the Northern Forest programme. The White Rose Forest manages the Trees for Climate programme in North and West Yorkshire, providing Government funding and support for landowners and farmers who want to plant trees and hedgerows on their land. Delivery of the White Rose Forest Strategic Plan 2025-2050 will be guided by five-year action plans, ensuring progress is monitored and reported annually.