Ambitious plans by Nottinghamshire County Council to plant 250,000 trees across the county by 2027 have been strengthened after securing £1.7m from the government.

Greenwood Community Forest will manage the £1.7m grant through the national Trees for Climate programme, which the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is funding.

Over the last year the council has planted 60 hectares of new woodland across seven sites within Greenwood Community Forest, an area that covers large swathes of West Nottinghamshire, including Sherwood Forest and green spaces in Mansfield, Eastwood, Nottingham and Attenborough.

The largest planting was at the former Rufford Colliery site in Rainworth, where 16 hectares of woodland have been planted to help reduce flood risk, provide more places for nature to thrive, and produce sustainable timber.

Council environment ambassador Coun Mike Adams said: “It is terrific our council has secured this funding.
“Our target to plant 250,000 trees across the next five years is ambitious, but we’ve had a flying start. I’m looking forward to getting many more trees into the ground over the next year.

“These trees will bring many rewards for local communities, including improving people’s health and wellbeing, providing a store carbon, and helping mitigate climate change.”

The council is currently examining sites within the Greenwood Community for planting over the next year after securing the funding.

It is hoped that approximately 90 hectares of natural woodland will be planted over the 2022-23 planting season, starting in November.

Landowners and farmers in the forest can help the campaign by offering their land for planting — the council can provide grants that cover up to 100% of tree planting costs and 15 years of maintenance costs.

Coun Tom Smith, Greenwood Community Forest champion, said: “Our planting efforts so far have been great success stories, with thousands of trees efficiently planted at sites including the ex-Rufford Colliery in Rainworth, Bestwood Country Park, and Vicar Water Country Park, Clipstone.

“Landowners and managers with green space available for this exciting project will be helping create well-designed and diverse woodlands, more resilient to climate change and natural hazards such as wildfire and storms.”

If you are an individual or organisation with land suitable for tree planting in the next phase and are interested in getting involved, call 0115 9932 600 or email [email protected] for further information.