Northumberland is set to benefit from funding for a scheme to restore and enhance woodlands damaged by Storm Arwen. 
 

Councillors have agreed on funding from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) at a Cabinet meeting which will enable the Great Northumberland Forest team at Northumberland County Council to support landowners in restoring and enhancing approximately 300 hectares across the county over the next two years.  
 

Eligible landowners could receive financial support restore of small individual woodlands and shelterbelts which have suffered significant storm damage. 
 

Resilient tree species will be planted, enhancing biodiversity and nature recovery as well as improving air quality and reducing carbon emissions in the county – helping Northumberland reach its carbon neutral target by 2030.  
 

It is also hoped that eligible landowners will see this as an opportunity to expand their woodland area where appropriate. 
 

Mark Child, Programme Manager for the Great Northumberland Forest said: “I’m thrilled that we have been awarded this funding as part of an incredibly important scheme. It’s fantastic news for our county.  
 

“There are lots of small farm woodlands and shelterbelts in our county which have been damaged or destroyed by recent severe weather events, particularly Storm Arwen. This has seen many landowners dealing with costs associated with timber recovery, clearance, repairs and replanting.  
 

“It is for these woodlands that there is justification for encouraging replanting with this grant aid.” 
 

There is now a legal target to increase tree canopy and woodland cover to 16.5% by 2050 in England, and this funding will play a part in achieving this. 
 

Chair of the Forestry Commission, Sir William Worsley said: “Woodlands are a critically important resource which provide a wide range of benefits to society as well as playing a key role in helping us respond to the challenges of climate change.  
 

“The England Trees Action Plan highlights the need to ensure woodlands are resilient to cope with future pressures from pests and diseases and climate change. The support being provided to the Great Northumberland Forest will help increase resilience in targeted woodlands to ensure the resource is protected into the future”.   
 

Areas where woodland is most at risk of being lost will be prioritised to ensure the most damaged locations in the county recover from this significant storm event. 
 

Forestry Minister, Trudy Harrison, said: “The Great Northumberland Forest will see millions of trees planted across the county, delivering a wide range of benefits for decades to come. 
 

“By creating more wooded landscapes across Northumberland, the project will play a critical role in helping the UK meet its tree-planting ambitions whilst tackling climate change and biodiversity decline, and supporting the health and economic wellbeing of the community.”