01 Dec 2023
Humber Forest plants 4,500 trees during National Tree Week
Humber Forest, the community forest for Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, has helped plant more than 4,500 trees as part of National Tree Week.
Members of the Humber Forest team and The Plant A Tree Today (PATT) Foundation, together with volunteers from Shared Agenda, planted 198 trees on an area of land off Sewerby Road in Bridlington.
The wild cherry, birch and alder trees, funded by Humber Forest, will enhance the beauty of the coastal site, create a home for wildlife and mitigate climate change by storing carbon.
The trees have been protected with guards because of the exposed nature of the site and potential damage from rabbit grazing. Humber Forest will also provide maintenance for the next five years to make sure the trees succeed.
Elsewhere in the region, trees were planted at sites in Driffield and Skipsea.
Humber Forest is one of 15 community forests across England, and part of the larger Northern Forest that stretches from Liverpool to the Yorkshire coast. It is not a single ‘forest’, but the collection of many trees, woodlands and hedgerows across the whole region.
IMAGE: Anya Cater, Humber Forest project officer, and Andrew Steel from the PATT Foundation (Pictures: East Riding of Yorkshire Council).
Councillor Paul West, East Riding of Yorkshire Council's portfolio holder for environment, said: “We hope the residents appreciate the addition to their fantastic open space and look forward to watching the trees grow and mature. “
This year’s National Tree Week marks the 50th anniversary of the “Plant a Tree in 73” campaign. To pay tribute to its roots, The Tree Council has been encouraging people to Grow a Tree in 23 by participating in one of the many organised tree-planting events taking place all over the country.
The change in the wording – “grow” instead of “plant” – reflects the continued care trees need after planting to ensure they thrive.
IMAGE: Tree planting session in Driffield.
Sara Lom, chief executive of The Tree Council, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating National Tree Week, which provides a fantastic opportunity for all of us to come together for the love of trees and to encourage everyone not only to plant a tree but also to care for it so it will grow to maturity.
“Trees and hedgerows help us tackle climate change, provide homes for wildlife, improve our health and so much more. We need to help them back and by getting involved, you’ll be part of growing a greener, tree-filled future for all of us.
“We’re so grateful to everyone across the UK for taking part in National Tree Week”
Humber Forest can fund large and small projects, providing up to 100 per cent of agreed costs of tree planting, hedgerow creation, tree protection and maintenance.
For more information or to get involved, visit Humber Forest or email humber.forest@eastriding.gov.uk
MAIN IMAGE: Anya Cater, Humber Forest project officer, Cllr Jayne Phoenix, ward councillor for Bridlington North, and Andrew Steel from PATT Foundation, with volunteers from Shared Agenda in the background.
Contact Information
Mark Westwood
Public relations officer
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
mark.westwood@eastriding.gov.uk
Notes to editors
Humber Forest
Humber Forest is one of 15 community forests across England, and part of the larger Northern Forest that stretches from Liverpool to the Yorkshire coast.
It is not a single ‘forest’, but the collection of many trees, woodlands and hedgerows across the whole region.
The team works with communities, businesses, and landowners to increase tree cover and maintain existing woodland.
Humber Forest can fund large and small projects, providing up to 100 per cent of agreed costs of tree planting, hedgerow creation and maintenance. It can also support tree protection, fences, gates and more.
Defra’s Nature for Climate Fund
Trees are at the forefront of the Government’s plans to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, to help to bend the curve of biodiversity loss, improve the environment and to create thousands of green jobs while better connecting people with nature.
The England Trees Action Plan is transforming how we grow and manage trees and woodlands in England. Its delivery is supported by over £675m of funding under the £750m Nature for Climate Fund. Through this work, we aim to at least treble tree planting rates by the end of this Parliament. Boosting tree planting will help put the UK on track to meet our net zero targets, reverse the decline in nature, improve water quality, and support job creation and economic growth.
The Humber Forest is funded through the Nature for Climate Fund.
About the Northern Forest
The Northern Forest has already established over 5 million new trees since 2018 and is helping to transform the landscape from coast to coast and in and around cities such as Liverpool, Chester, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, York and Hull.
A partnership between the Woodland Trust and four of England’s Community Forests: City of Trees, Mersey Forest, Humber Forest and White Rose Forest, as well as the Community Forest Trust (collectively the Northern Forest Partnership) are delivering this ambitious project. The partnership aims to increase woodland across the Northern Forest area in order to connect people with nature, create growth and investment opportunities, reduce climate change and flood risk, improve health and wellbeing, support the rural economy and develop innovative funding mechanisms for the future.
The Northern Forest covers an area of 13 million people and has 7.6% woodland cover - well below Europe’s average. Across England, only 10% of our land area is covered by woodland. In Scotland that stands at 18%, and in France, Germany and Spain it is 31%, 33% and 37% respectively.
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