The government has pledged £5.7 million to kickstart the creation of a northern forest that will stretch from Liverpool to Hull.
The plans, which are being led by the Woodland Trust, include the planting of fifty million trees along a one hundred and twenty mile stretch of land running next to the M62. The project is expected to cost £500 million over twenty five years, with more than £10 million committed by the Woodland Trust and the remainder still to be raised.
The project aims to provide new habitat for wildlife, as well as bolstering the local economy by an estimated £2 billion through tourism, jobs, increasing property value and reduced flood risk to one hundred and ninety thousand homes. The Woodland Trust claims the new woodland will help tackle climate change by locking up an estimated 8 million tonnes of carbon.
(Source: Guardian)
