Communities all across England will see millions more trees planted thanks to Government investment to expand woodlands.

The investment will create larger, well-designed and more diverse woodlands which will be more resilient to climate change, as well as natural hazards such as wildfires and storms – playing an important role in helping us adapt to a warmer world. They will help to reduce flood risk in vulnerable areas, provide sustainable UK grown timber and provide more places for nature and biodiversity to thrive.

England’s 13 Community Forests, including the Humber and Mersey Forests as well as partners including the Northern Forest and Great Northumberland Forest, are all set to benefit from the funding. As part of the Government’s £750 million Nature for Climate Fund, these projects will expand woodlands near our cities, towns, villages and rivers – giving more people greater access to nature and improving health and wellbeing.

Collectively around 2,300 hectares of trees – equivalent to around 3,220 football pitches – will be planted as part of this year’s £44.2 million funding allocation, playing an important role in Government ambitions to treble tree planting rates by the end of this Parliament and reach net zero. It is estimated the planting announced today will see 600,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide absorbed by 2050, valued at nearly £100 million.

The funding will also create more green jobs within the forestry and environmental sectors, helping spread economic growth across the country.

Lord Zac Goldsmith, Forestry Minister, said:

Our economies, livelihoods and wellbeing all rely on nature.

As well as tackling the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss, this significant funding will create diverse treescapes across the country and improve the health and wellbeing of local communities by giving them more opportunities to enjoy nature on their doorstep.

Sir William Worsley, Forestry Commission Chair, said:

The social, environmental and economic benefits of being in woodlands are well-documented, helping local communities to be happier, healthier and more pleasant places to live.

It is a personal mission of mine to make sure as many people as possible get to experience these benefits. This funding will ensure we plant trees in areas close to where people live, as well as providing job opportunities in new woodland creation through planting, establishing and managing trees.

Paul Nolan, Chair of England’s Community Forests, said:

England’s Community Forests welcome the opportunity to establish even more new woodlands close to people to deliver all the benefits that we know they provide.

Over the past two years, England’s Community Forests have worked closely with Defra, Forestry Commission, Natural England, over 70 local authorities and a huge range of landowners to establish more than 1000 hectares of new woodland. We are looking forward to continuing this joint endeavour and helping the country reach our net zero goal.

Community Forest plans contribute to the planning and regeneration strategies of the local authorities they work with, providing the green infrastructure needed to support regional growth. These plans are targeted to areas where woodland cover is lowest and focus tree planting towards more deprived communities – helping to level-up environmental benefits across the whole of England.

Local authorities will also benefit from further support announced today for the development of the new LA Tree and Woodland Strategies toolkit, launching in September in partnership with the Tree Council, Fera, Forestry Commission and Forest Research. This will help to build local capacity to plan for new trees and woodlands.

This announcement forms part of wider Government action to recover and restore nature, as part of the 25 Year Environment Plan, and commitments to reach net zero by 2050.

To see what grants are available from our partners, please visit Regional woodland grants and incentives.

Ahead of the busy summer holiday season, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), is urging holidaymakers and locals to take extra care and check military firing and training times when accessing MOD sites shared with the public. This includes a number of popular coastal locations.

Depicting an oversized military vehicle, the sand drawing was brought to life on Saunton Sands beach in Devon, an area steeped in military history and adjacent to the Braunton Burrows Training Estate.

The artwork launches the next phase of the Respect the Range campaign, a public safety initiative to warn visitors about the very real risks they face when entering shared land used by the MOD for training. Risks include:

• live firing
• unexploded ordnance
• fast-moving military vehicles

Accessing military training estate areas when it is not safe to do so, not only places visitors in harm’s way,  but can also put service personnel at risk and interrupt vital training exercises designed to prepare the Armed Forces’ to deploy in real-life situations.

The MOD wants to raise awareness of the risks to the general public, especially any holidaymakers or day-trippers heading to coastal hotspots this summer.

There are a large number of MOD training locations across the UK, but Respect the Range highlights the following key sites with shared public access that could pose significant risk to locals and tourists: Lulworth, Holbeach, Donna Nook, Barry Buddon, Lydd & Hythe, Salisbury Plain and Aldershot.

To protect themselves and stay safe while using military land, the MOD is encouraging visitors to:

• check training times before traveling
• stick to public access routes
• observe safety information including red flags, fences, signs and by-laws while on military land
• don’t touch any ordnance they come across, and report it

Brigadier Jonathan Bartholomew, DIO’s Head of Overseas Region and the Defence Training Estate, said:

With the summer holidays now upon us, it’s an important time for us to raise public awareness about MOD training estate locations and how the public can stay safe when visiting them. Whilst last year’s Respect the Range campaign targeted the countryside of Salisbury Plain and Aldershot, this year we are focusing on protecting tourists and visitors on our coastline.

These beauty spots are shared land, where families, tourists and locals spend time. But it’s also where our Armed Forces practise live-fire training, so it can go from tranquil to treacherous by the hour, 24 hours a day.

The MOD supports public access to much of the military estate and encourages visitors to explore the beauty of Britain’s beaches, but this should be done in accordance with military guidance and with caution. We ask that the public do not cross into areas that are prohibited, stick to public paths and always check live firing times. This will help protect yourself, your loved ones and military personnel. It’s key that we work together to share these spaces with respect and consideration.

Respect the Range highlights the dual use of each location by using memorable photography and design, and targeting the most popular types of land usage in the hotspots. This phase of the campaign builds on last year’s pilot, which focused on MOD’s landlocked locations, by bringing in coastal locations too. The dangers differ but are equally as dangerous between the distinct terrains, and it is important that the public are aware of these in order to stay safe.

Please note that Braunton Burrows Training Estate is not an area used for live firing exercises.

For more information on how to access military estate safely, visit: www.gov.uk/guidance/safe-access