Yorkshire Water to plant 63,000 trees in restored woodland

Yorkshire Water has started the second phase of a project to plant 63,000 trees as part of a project to restore ancient woodland and boost water quality.

The company has been working with the Forestry Commission and Natural England since 2011 on the 14-year project to remove non-native trees and invasive weeds at ten woodland sites and reintroduce native trees such as oak, hazel, rowan, alder and holly.

The work is being undertaken to conserve and enhance the native habitat and wildlife found in these woodlands, at the same time as helping to support water quality by preventing erosion.

There are over 220 hectares of ancient woodland on Yorkshire Water’s land, equivalent to the size of 286 football pitches. To date, 75 hectares of it has been enhanced and a further 75 hectares will be restored over the next five years, with the rest of the conservation due to be completed by 2025.

Yorkshire Water recreation and catchment manager Geoff Lomas said: “We have allocated over £1 million to invest over the next five years to manage these woodlands. This will help to create a more resilient woodland that restores original features.

“The 63,000 new native trees due to be planted will also help to support water quality by better stabilising the soil and stopping it from being washed into rivers and streams.”

As part of the restoration programme, many invasive weeds such as Rhododendron, Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam have been removed from the ancient woodlands to allow native grasses, flowers and fauna to grow back.

The ancient woodland restoration activity forms part of Yorkshire Water’s performance commitment to ensure more than 11,000 hectares of its land is carefully conserved and enhanced.

A version of this story first appeared on wwtonline.