Northern Forest (England) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Northern Forest |
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Existing woodland near Rainford (part of the Mersey Forest)
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| Map | |
 Location in England
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| Geography | |
| Location | England |
| Coordinates | 53°46′29.9″N 1°33′22.9″W / 53.774972°N 1.556361°W |
| Administration | |
| Status | Proposed |
The Northern Forest is an exciting plan to plant millions of trees across northern England. It will stretch from Liverpool and Chester in the west all the way to the coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire. The main goal is to plant 50 million trees by the year 2032. This huge forest will help the environment, create fun places for people to visit, and even provide wood for different industries. The British government gave money to start this project in 2018. The Woodland Trust, a charity that protects trees, is very happy about this plan.
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What is the Northern Forest?
The Northern Forest is a big project to grow a huge forest across the top of England. It will connect five existing community forests. These are special areas where people work together to plant and look after trees.
Where will the trees be planted?
This new forest will cover a wide area, from Liverpool and Chester on the west side of England to the coast near Hull in the east. It will also include big cities like Manchester, Leeds, and Sheffield.
The project is led by the Woodland Trust. It will join up five smaller community forests:
- The Mersey Forest
- Manchester's City of Trees
- The White Rose Forest
- The South Yorkshire Forest
- HEYwoods
Why is this forest important?
The main aim is to plant 50 million trees between 2017 and 2042. This means planting trees three times faster than before in this area. This will help to increase reforestation, which is when new forests are grown. England has not been planting many new trees lately. In fact, sometimes more trees are cut down than planted.
Right now, less than 8% of this area is covered by trees. This is one of the lowest amounts in the country. The Northern Forest project wants to change that.
How will the forest help?
The Northern Forest was planned to go along with the government's Northern Powerhouse idea. This is a plan to make the economy stronger in northern England. The trees planted will be a mix of native trees (like oak) and other types that grow quickly.
The forest will bring many benefits:
- It will provide wood for building and for energy.
- It will create fun places for people to walk, cycle, and enjoy nature.
- It will help reduce the risk of floods.
- It will make the air and water cleaner.
Some of the wood from the forest could be used in power stations along the M62 motorway. These stations make a lot of the UK's electricity. They need a lot of fuel, and the new forest could help provide it.
Where will planting start?
The first trees will be planted close to the big cities. The goal is to increase tree cover in these areas to 20%. Next, trees will be planted along river valleys. This will help to stop floods. The more remote areas will be planted later in the 25-year plan.
How is the Northern Forest funded?
The whole project is expected to cost about £500 million. But the benefits it will bring are much higher, estimated to be over £2.5 billion!
The UK government gave the first £5.7 million to start the project in January 2018. More money might come from other big building projects in the future. For example, new rail lines like High Speed 2 and major road schemes might help pay for tree planting. There is also hope that money from farming payments, which might change after Brexit, could be used for the forest.
External links
- Woodland Trust
