New forests benefit North says LJMU data

Britain’s emerging ‘Northern Forest’ is making a positive impact on our quality of life, according to a new report based on data from Liverpool John Moores University.

The report shows a million people now have better access to nature, clean air and enjoy better health thanks to the programme begun in 2018 with an ambition to plant 50 million trees from Liverpool to Hull.

To date, more than 10 million trees have been planted across the North, creating more than 4,500 hectares of woodland.

Report contributor Dr Colm Bowe, of LJMU’s Natural Capital Hub research centre, said: “You’ve got increased access to woodland, you’ve got more people coming to visit that woodland and over time as these trees mature, they’ll sequester more carbon and start to improve on our flood regulation and will continue to remove the pollutant particulates from the atmosphere.”

The report, led by the Woodland Trust with contributions from the Northern Forest Partnership*, looked specifically at the impact of tree planting on the economy, health and lives of people living in or near the ‘Northern Forest’.

It shows that:

• 1 million people in you region and beyond, now have better access to nature, clean air and better health thanks to the Northern Forest programme.
• 10 million trees have been planted across the Northern Forest area since 2018, creating more than 4,500 hectares of woodland.
• Almost 340,000 extra households are now less than ten minutes walk away from a publicly accessible woodland.

Almost one third of these households are within the top 10% of most deprived areas in England. Giving people free, easy access to nature means a greater chance of them having better physical and mental health.

Added Dr Bowe: “In urban areas airborne pollution poses a significant health risk causing around 40,000 premature deaths every year. Taking trees to the heart of urban areas cleans the air that millions of people breathe. They also cool the temperature and quieten the noise of city life.”

The ‘Northern Forests impact Report’ also found that:

• The Northern Forest is contributing £50 million of economic uplift every year through natural benefits such as flood mitigation, improved air quality and access to nature.
• For every 100 hectares of woodland planted in the Northern Forest, 25 temporary and the equivalent of six one-year jobs are created. Trees and nature help underpin our valuable visitor economy, worth £12.3 billion annually.
• As the trees grow, 1.5 million cubic metres of additional water storage is being created, creating natural flood management across these areas equal to an annual water storage cost of £700,000.
  
  

*The Northern Forest (partnership)

Together, the Woodland Trust, the Community Forest Trust and four Community Forests in the north of England – The Mersey Forest, City of Trees (Greater Manchester), the White Rose Forest and Humber Forest – are aiming to plant at least 50 million new trees across 10,000 square miles of land over 25 years. At the seven-year mark, over 10 million trees have been established between Liverpool and Hull, covering Merseyside, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Yorkshire and the Humber, Lancashire, and parts of Cumbria, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. The programme’s impact has been significant. Liverpool John Moores University has assessed the benefits that the Northern Forest has generated since its launch to show an impressive and increasing return on investment.