Community Forest celebrates impressive growth

In the last year the Forest, made up of planting projects across Northumberland, Newcastle, Gateshead, North and South Tyneside, Sunderland and urban areas of County Durham have planted almost 300,000 trees. 

This equates to an area of over 164 gross hectares, the 5th largest amount planted in the network of 15 Forests within the England Community Forest network.

A total of 17.4 kilometres of hedgerows were also planted with the support of over 2,124 volunteers from local communities across North East England. 

The newly planted trees and hedgerows are estimated to capture approximately 50,872 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over 30 years. 

North East Community Forest Chairman, Ross Weddle, said: “We are absolutely committed to bringing more greenery and woodland to our region. Woodlands and green spaces are the beating heart of so many of our communities.

“Throughout the last year we have worked with a wide range of volunteers and partners to plant new trees so they can be enjoyed by people for years to come. 

“I would like to thank everyone involved in making this year so successful and look forward to increasing our positive impact on the local environment this year.”

Cllr Juna Sathian, Climate and Transport, Newcastle City Council said: “It is fantastic that communities have actively engaged with the planting projects this year, contributing to a greener, healthier future for all of us. The creation of these new woodlands is vital in our efforts to tackle climate change, enhance air quality, and create happier and healthier places to live, work, and visit.”

I would encourage any landowners interested in planting trees on their land to seek the advice of the Forest Team to find out what funding and support they can access for woodland creation, which can not only boost biodiversity but also offer long-term environmental benefits. Together, we can ensure that these green spaces are enjoyed for generations to come.”

One of 15 Community Forests across England, the North East Community Forest is a multi-million pound project that has seen six local authorities join forces with environmental organisations to plant tens of thousands of trees across the region. 

The Forest works alongside its partners and valuable volunteers to continue its ambitious plans to plant thousands of hectares of trees to improve the natural environment and create happier and healthier places for everyone to live, work in and visit.

With years of experience and locally based support, the team helps communities, landowners and businesses to plan, fund and deliver tree and hedge planting projects of all sizes – from farms and private estates to parks and community spaces.

This is supported by Trees for Climate, a woodland creation programme managed by the North East Community Forest and funded by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (through the Nature for Climate Fund).

The North East Community Forest is also part of a wider success story for all tree planting in England over the past year, the last planting season saw tree planting rates increase by 52% from the previous year with 5,529 hectares of new woodland planted.  This marks significant progress towards meeting the Environment Act target of achieving 16.5% tree and woodland cover in England by 2050. 

Any landowners with land suitable for tree and hedge planting should contact the North East Community Forest by emailing info@necf.org.uk.

The full report can be viewed here: North East Community Forest annual report | Northeast Community Forest