A community forest in Nottinghamshire will be joining a programme aiming to create new woodland across England.
Greenwood Community Forest, hosted and supported by Nottinghamshire County Council, will be one of 10 community forests across the country aiming to plant a collective 500 hectares (more than 1,200 acres) of new woodland over the next five months.
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced funding for the new Trees for Climate programme as part of the Government’s Nature for Climate Fund.
The move will help deliver the Government’s target of planting up to 30,000 hectares of trees per year, across the UK.
The widespread woodland creation is a response to combat the climate emergency and is one of the biggest environmental regeneration initiatives the UK has embarked on.
The core Greenwood Community Forest area covers 161 square miles Nottinghamshire including Mansfield, Nottingham, Eastwood and Farnsfield.
It overlaps historic Sherwood Forest in the north-east and curves round to Attenborough in the south-west.
As part of the programme, the forest aims to deliver 17 hectares (approx. 42 acres) of new woodland, to be located across two County Council-owned green spaces sites - Rufford Colliery, near Mansfield, and Bentinck South near Kirkby in Ashfield.
It is anticipated that planting will commence early in 2021.
Working with a range of partners, including local conservation organisations such as the Sherwood Forest Trust, local authorities and private landowners, additional planting schemes will be developed later in 2021.
An initial £12m of grant funding for the first planting session in 2020/21 has been secured from the Government’s Nature for Climate fund.
Councillor John Cottee, Chair of the Communities and Place Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The County Council has hosted and supported Greenwood Community Forest for 30 years, and we are delighted to be part of the Trees for Climate programme.
"As well as helping in the fight against climate change, woodlands and trees are of great local value, helping to improve air quality, acting as a habitat for wildlife, and providing spaces for people to relax and exercise in”.
Councillor Kay Cutts MBE, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council said: “The Trees for Climate programme will support our local communities, providing them with opportunities to get involved in planting and with new areas of accessible woodland and green space to enjoy."
