Heart of the Pennines Forest project completed
THE Heart of the Pennines Forest project, a three-year Trees Call to Action Fund project in the North
Pennines, has delivered a wide range of nature recovery, engagement and employment activity
supporting the key themes of the England Trees Action Plan.
The Trees Call to Action Fund, part of the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs’
(Defra) £640 million Nature for Climate Fund Programme, supports projects in England which
protect trees and woodlands, boost forestry skills and jobs, develop woodland creation partnerships,
and engage communities with nature.
In March 2022, the North Pennines National Landscape was awarded £499,100 with match
funding of £35,000 from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, £16,000 from the Woodland
Trust and £15,000 from the Yorkshire Dales Millenium Trust for the Heart of the Pennines Forest
project.
Delivered by the North Pennines National Landscape team, the Yorkshire Dales National Park
Authority, and the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, with support from the Woodland Trust and
Forestry Commission, the project area bridges the gap between the existing Great Northumberland
National Forest to the north and the Northern Forest initiative to the south.
The North Pennines is one of the least wooded areas of England and establishing more trees in
the landscape is a priority. Trees in the uplands help to reduce water run-off and flooding in
communities downstream, clean our water and air, store carbon as well as providing shade and
shelter for livestock on farms. They provide critical food resource and habitat for wildlife, including
rare upland birds such as black grouse. It can take many forms – woodland, scrub, wood pasture,
agro-forestry, hedges.
However, careful thought and planning is required to ensure that increasing woodland isn’t at
the expense of existing priority habitats and species, such as curlew, species rich grasslands, blanket
bog.
The team has developed a ‘tree potential zone’ model to establish the best places for trees to go.
Over the past three years the team has worked with over 120 land managers to increase and
manage tree cover in the North Pennines. This has included advice to identify the best locations,
design and species to fit with the landscape and existing priority habitats and species as well as
support with surveying, planning, accessing funding, and advice on managing existing woodland for
nature recovery.
The team advised on 946 hectares of land, identifying 308 hectares as suitable for trees. They
were able to 37 landowners secure funding, including five schemes through the England Woodland
Creation Offer, and a total of 52 hectares was planted. The programme secured a total investment of
£737,942 for trees, people and the green economy.
Project partners, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, established three community tree nurseries to
engage local communities and supply native upland species, and employed four woodland trainees
who gained industry experience. The tree potential zone model, which identifies areas where tree
planting would have the least negative affect on important populations of wading birds that rely on
open, treeless landscapes to thrive, is to be included in nature recovery priorities within the
forthcoming North Pennines National Landscape management plan.
Sarah Tooze, Biodiversity Lead at the North Pennines National Landscape team, said: “The project
focussed on the kinds of tree cover – small scale woodlands and low density wood pasture with scrub
and scattered canopy trees – which work alongside nature friendly farming systems and will improve
the landscape for biodiversity and other public goods. Offering advice and support for the
management of existing woodland has been important to maximise their benefit for wildlife.”
The North Pennines National Landscape team offer advice and support to land managers,
farmers and landowners who wish to increase tree cover, manage woodland, and access funding for
small-scale planting. For further information please contact
