25 July 2022 – The White Rose Forest supported the planting of 2 acres of new woodland on land owned by long-term Silsden resident Linda Arter within the Aire River catchment in West Yorkshire.
Watching BBC Countryfile and learning more about the significant environmental benefits of tree planting motivated Linda Arter to explore the possibilities of woodland creation on her 2 acre field, situated between the River Aire and Holden Beck near Silsden, West Yorkshire.
Inspired by a love of the environment and her family legacy, Linda chose to plant trees on the field opposite her home.
Linda said: “I was watching a BBC Countryfile feature about tree planting and was inspired by their message about the environmental impact if we all planted just one tree each. I got in touch with the White Rose Forest team via Bradford Council and they organised a site visit and talked me through the options on my land that had previously been used for occasional grazing by a local farmer.”
The White Rose Forest team supported Linda through the planning and regulatory process and identified the best funding options for her project. Linda’s woodland was funded by the White Rose Forest via their Trees for Climate funding programme. The design and planting of native trees was then managed by Ian Butterfield from YORgreen Community Interest Company, a local White Rose Forest partner, who organised a group of volunteers to plant the 2 acre field in Feb / March this year.
Linda found the planting stage particularly valuable. She said, “Ian and the volunteers who came to do the planting were so knowledgeable and enthusiastic. They provided brilliant information about the native, locally-grown trees selected for my field and I was even able to choose trees to plant in a particular location in memory of my mum and dad.”
Linda also has some advice for anyone considering tree planting on their land, she said: “Do as much research as you can. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and get support from organisations such as the White Rose Forest. There is so much to learn but it is such a rewarding experience.”
“The tree planting itself was a wonderful experience and will have a much greater positive impact on the environment than anything else we could do as a family”
Project impact
Enhancing wildlife and biodiversity:
This new native woodland on what was a rough grazing field will provide new habitats for wildlife and improve biodiversity.
CO2 capture and increased climate change resilience:
The project will help to capture residual CO2 and play a role in mitigating the impact of climate change in Yorkshire.
Natural Flood Management
The new woodland will play an important role in helping to reduce water runoff into the neighbouring Holden Beck and larger River Aire. This project will therefore help protect other areas further downstream from future damaging flooding events.
