The 50,000th young tree has been planted in what will grow to become York's new community woodland.
Two hundred acres of land near the village of Knapton, to the west of York, are being transformed into what Forestry England says will be a 'beautiful, interactive woodland for the people of York to explore and enjoy'.
Eventually, it will become one of the biggest community woodlands in England - the aim is to see 210,000 trees planted in total over the next few years.
Forestry England, which has taken on the long-term management of the new woodland, says that once established it will 'help nature recover across the wider landscape, providing habitat for valuable wildlife and helping to store carbon, alleviate soil erosion and prevent flooding'.
The forestry body has been working with City of York Council on the project, and the two organisations jointly pledged in 2019 that 50,000 new young trees would be planted by March this year.
They have met that deadline, with time to spare.
City of York Council leader Keith Aspden said the planting of the 50,000th tree was a 'significant milestone in our journey to build a cleaner, greener York'.
The council says the new woodland will support York’s efforts to tackle the impacts of climate change, increase biodiversity and promote active travel, health and wellbeing.
It will also contribute to York’s new goal of increasing the city’s tree canopy cover from 10.8 per cent to 13 per cent by 2050 – the equivalent of more than 50 acres of new canopy cover each year - the council says.
Cllr Aspden said: "The community woodland will benefit the city and its residents for centuries to come, enhancing the setting of the city and making York an even greater place to live, work and visit.
“Our target to be a carbon net-zero city by 2030 is ambitious. Achieving this goal through emissions reduction alone is unlikely, so changing land use to offset emissions across the city is therefore an important part of the solution.”
The authority's executive member for climate change Cllr Paula Widdowson added: “We know York’s residents care about our natural environment and are committed to working together to tackle CO2 emissions and protect our local biodiversity.
“Trees can have a major impact on our local environment, from providing habitats for wildlife to absorbing carbon from our atmosphere.
“York’s community woodland is a flagship project contributing to this target.”
Gareth Parry, Forestry England's forest management director for Yorkshire, said: “Following our joint commitment with the City of York Council to plant 50,000 trees at York community woodland before March 2023, we are delighted to celebrate this early success.
"This achievement strengthens our commitment to nature’s recovery and our ambitions to restore nature and tackle climate change across England, as well as helping to bring green spaces and wildlife to everyone, including those who live in towns and cities.”
To keep in touch with Forestry England’s plans for creating the woodland visit www.forestryengland.uk/york-community-woodland.
To find out more about carbon reduction and climate action in York visit www.york.gov.uk/climatechange.
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