Yorkshire Dales: Thousands of new trees to be planted in national park
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The park authority aims to plant trees covering 6,000 hectares in the Yorkshire Dales
Thousands of trees are going to be planted across an area the size of over 11,000 football pitches in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Currently the Dales has the least amount of trees out of all of England's 10 national parks.
The new strategy to increase its woodland has been revealed by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.
It hopes to cover 6,000 hectares over the next 10 years.
Earlier this year, Friends of the Earth - an environmental charity - claimed the park had just 4.1% woodland cover, compared to 4.5% in London.
Trees play an important role in fighting climate change by removing emissions from the air.
The Yorkshire Dales includes Yorkshire's Three Peaks - Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-y-ghent
By 2030 the Park Authority aims to create 6,000 hectares of woodland, with priority given to projects that strengthen wildlife habitats, increase carbon storage and help to reduce flooding.
The 6,000 hectare target would take the total woodland cover up to 7% of the park's area - but that's still less than the other nine national parks.
While concerns have been raised over potentially harming the national park's views, a park spokesman said new plantations must add to the area's natural beauty.
The plan would help the government's commitment to create 30,000 hectares of trees a year in its recent 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution.
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