York Community Woodland is a 78-hectare site to the west of York, where a new community woodland is being created.
Our woodland creation process is in its infancy. Follow the story as it develops here or join the York Community Woodland mailing list.
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Forestry England is working with City of York Council as their delivery partner for York Community Woodland. As part of joint objectives to increase green spaces and promote health and wellbeing, Forestry England will be planning, planting and managing this new woodland.
The site, near the village of Knapton to the west of York, will be transformed into a beautiful, interactive woodland for the people of York to explore and enjoy, providing health and wellbeing benefits for all. Once established, it will help nature recover across the wider landscape, providing habitat for valuable wildlife and helping to store carbon, alleviate soil erosion and prevent flooding.
This woodland will be an important part of the work we’re doing expanding the nation’s forests over the next five years and will be delivered by the Government’s Nature for Climate Fund. Learn more about how you can grow the nations forests with the Forestry England Woodland Partnership.
Spanning 78 hectares, this woodland area has been allocated by the City of York Council to increase green space in the city for residents and visitors alike. This will help to deliver the council’s woodland vision and objectives and similarly, Forestry England’s ambition to create 2,000 hectares of new woodland over the next 5 years.
The woodland is set to be interactive, with recreation activities, walking and cycling trails and educational amenities planned. It will also increase the biodiversity and wildlife habitats in the city, as well as helping to protect endangered species. View a detailed birds eye view of the design plan from the below link.
Over the coming months, we will continue to bring together plans for the new woodland to give us all the information we need to make sure the right trees are planted in the right place, as well as establish the new network of trails and paths.
We will share the final woodland design which will show how the new woodland will look as it matures over the years ahead.
People living and working in York and the surrounding area have already had a chance to hear about the plans for this project through work done by City of York Council to engage with people and hear their views. We will continue talking to the local community along the way to keep everyone updated and we will let people know how to get involved as we begin tree planting.
To share your experiences and images of the woodland, please email communicationsyfd@forestryengland.uk and keep up to date by joining our mailing list using the form on this page.
