The Humber Forest have planted their millionth tree at a ceremony in West Park, in Goole.
Humber Forest work with farmers, landowners, businesses and communities, and provide grants to cover up to 100% of funding for planting and associated costs. Sites may be eligible for between five and 15 years of establishment and ecosystem service payments.
These trees can play a vital role in creating habitats for wildlife, improving community spaces, reducing soil erosion and flooding, and improving air quality.
Since its launch in 2022, the Humber Forest has planted trees at 515 sites across Hull, East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire. This includes over 200 schemes on sites with full or partial public access, including schools, parks, sports pitches and amenity grasslands.
An estimated 6,000 volunteers have been involved with planting the trees, across the region, from local businesses, community groups and schools. Together they have planted 375 hectares of trees, including almost 137km (85 miles) of hedgerow – the equivalent distance from Bridlington to Sheffield!
Humber Forest is supported by Defra, as the community forest for Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. It is one of 15 community forests across England and is 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.
Councillor Paul West, East Riding of Yorkshire Council cabinet member for environment and transport said: “This is a great achievement and we’re proud to support the Humber Forest to reach a fantastic million trees planted. These trees play a key role in improving biodiversity, mitigating flooding and reducing air pollution for residents. We highly encourage interested landowners to get in touch with the Humber Forest team to see how they can become involved.”
Leah Cave, Humber Forest Partnership Manager said “We’re proud to support communities across Hull, East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire, and it’s great to reach this milestone. We look forward to expanding the Humber Forest in years to come, and spreading the benefits it provides to the environment and local communities”.
The Humber Forest funds both 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
