Humber Forest has planted a record number of trees in the last twelve months, with 238,000 trees planted across Hull, East Yorkshire, and Northern Lincolnshire.
Since the project began, three years ago, 400,000 trees have been planted across the region.
Humber Forest, supported by Defra, is the community forest for Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, one of 15 community forests across England and part of the larger Northern Forest that stretches from Liverpool to the Yorkshire Coast.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council is the accountable body for the Humber Forest.
The project provides grants to cover up to 100 per cent funding for planting as well as at least five years maintenance for farmers, landowners, businesses, and communities to plant hedgerows or trees on their land.
These trees can play a vital role in reducing soil erosion and flooding, improving air quality, creating habitats for wildlife, and improving community spaces.
In Winterton, Humber Forest supported the Winterton 2022 with 80 fruit trees for a community orchard and 450 woodland trees and a hedgerow to create an area that will benefit the local community and wildlife.
Most trees are planted by Humber Forest delivery partners with the support of volunteers, including local residents.
In Winterton, The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) assisted by volunteers from the local community and pupils from The Winterton Federation School and Winterton Academy helped to plant the trees.
Kerri Prowting, Winterton 2022 co-ordinator, said: “Working with Humber Forest, North Lincolnshire Council and The Conservation Volunteers has allowed us to really kickstart the community orchard, which would have taken us a much longer time.”
An Alkborough farmer approached Humber Forest to see if hedgerows could be planted to help wildlife recovery and improve the local environment.
Planting took place over eight days across four sites. A total length of 2,006m of hedgerow was planted, consisting of 10,030 saplings and 122 standard trees.
Beyond the benefits they bring to wildlife, the hedgerows will play an important role on the farmland, ensuring soils remain healthy, reducing the impact of drought and flooding.
Councillor David Rose, cabinet member for Environment, said: “I fully support this initiative and am pleased North Lincolnshire Council is playing a full part in the establishment of the Humber Forest.
“None of this would have been possible without the many farmers and landowners who have backed the Humber Forest and put their land forward for habitat creation and diversification, and we owe them a debt of thanks for that.
“We all want to see more trees and hedgerows, it doesn’t just benefit wildlife but our whole community, while reaffirming our commitment to making North Lincolnshire a greener, more sustainable environment for future generations.”
The Humber Forest team can fund large and small projects and are eager to hear from any landowners who are interested in planting trees or hedgerow on their land. They can be contacted at humber.forest@eastriding.gov.uk or visit www.humberforest.org
Tree and hedgerow planting in the Humber Forest is supported with funding from the Trees for Climate and Northern Forest Grow Back Greener funds, which are part of the Defra Nature for Climate Fund and provide landowners with grants to cover up to 100 per cent of all woodland creation project costs.
Image credit: Stock.adobe.com/gpointstudio
