Funding awarded by the North East Community Forest to create 600,000 tree woodland

Greencroft Forest Park in County Durham is set to be England’s largest new productive and mixed woodland in over 40 years, following a recent High Court ruling that dismissed a legal challenge against the project.

The North East Community Forest has provided funding to True North Real Asset Partners Limited to transform former agricultural land on the historic Greencroft estate into a landmark tree-planting initiative, creating over 290 hectares of mixed productive woodland and maintaining the forest for the next 15 years.

Greencroft Forest Park will comprise 600,000 individual trees, across nearly 300 hectares, and 31 different species, contributing significantly to local and national tree-planting targets and delivering a range of ecological, economic, and community benefits.

To create this diverse, productive forest, broadleaf and coniferous species will be planted. Oak will make up the largest share of native and naturalised broadleaves, along with birch, willow, hornbeam, and others, all planted for biodiversity gains and future timber use.

Sustainability is central to the scheme, with 198 hectares dedicated to productive conifer planting. Sitka spruce, Scots pine and yew will feature among the conifer species, with Sitka spruce making up the largest single species at 60% of the forest planting.

45 hectares of broadleaf woodland will also be planted alongside 46 hectares of open ground, creating a diverse and complementary landscape within the new Greencroft Forest Park. The broadleaf areas will provide additional habitat and biodiversity benefits, while the open ground will create valuable space for grassland, wildflowers and associated species, helping to support a wider range of wildlife. Together, these habitats will complement the productive woodland, strengthening the scheme’s contribution to biodiversity, landscape connectivity and wider ecosystem benefits.

The forest will produce more than 110,000 tonnes of sustainably homegrown timber by 2046, supporting the UK’s growing demand for sustainably sourced timber in industries such as housebuilding and construction.

The forest is expected to sequester over 67,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in its first 100 years, making it a valuable asset in combating climate change. Beyond carbon storage, productive forests like Greencroft also help with flood mitigation, improving local resilience to extreme weather events.

One of the immediate benefits of tree planting at Greencroft Forest Park will be reducing the flood risk in the local Lanchester area by lowering river levels by up to 10%. Thirty-seven acres of wet woodland, a declining priority habitat and one that would historically have been present on the site, will be planted around the flood-prone areas of Newhouse and Smallhope Burns in Lanchester.

To restore the wet woodland, some historic drains will be removed from the site, reducing the amount of water running directly downhill into the Newhouse Burn. This will improve flood conditions now and in the future by slowing the flow and amount of water entering the Burn. In time, as the trees grow and penetrate the ground, the benefits will increase as the forest absorbs more rainfall.

The funding will also guarantee the expansion and improvement of public access paths around the forest site. A total of 5.7 km of all-ability access paths suitable for wheelchair and pushchair use will be created and linked to existing public rights of way across the site. The paths will be carefully designed to cross the site and accommodate the slopes and steep gradients of the land. Public information boards will also be created and installed at the woodland entrance to enhance the visitor experience and engagement with the forest.

Ground preparation on site will begin almost immediately. Specialist contractors from Cumbria will use three tractors fitted with catchment equipment to plough half-metre-high mounds, preparing the ground for tree planting. Some sections of fencing will also be installed in areas where saplings need protection from deer. Depending on weather conditions, this preparatory phase of the forest creation should take less than one month to complete.

Tree planting will then start in mid to late October and will be completed within the current planting season, which ends on 30 April 2027. True North is confident that all the trees will be in the ground before Christmas 2026.

A ten-strong team of forestry experts from Juniper Forestry in Chopwell will begin planting saplings by hand, with approximately 16,000 trees planted each day. The saplings will be approximately 20–40 cm tall, with most sourced from local supplier Trees Please in Corbridge.

Living Woods CIC has been engaged to work with the NECF Team to deliver community planting and aftercare sessions, providing residents, schools, community groups, and volunteers with opportunities to help establish and care for the new woodland. These events will enable people to take an active role in creating and maintaining the forest, fostering a sense of ownership and connection to a landscape that will benefit the community for generations.

Harry Humble, Chief Executive of True North, the largest afforestation investor in the UK said: “We are delighted to have secured support and funding from the North East Community Forest and that forest planting can finally get underway.  It is a historic moment for the county.

“This has been a complex, costly and time–consuming development, and we are excited to finally get trees into the ground and create a forest that local people can enjoy for decades to come.”

Lloyd Jones, Forest Manager, North East Community Forest, said: “We are proud to be supporting this project, which will help to build sustainable resources for future generations while enriching the environment for the current community. By balancing productive timber resources with native habitats and community spaces, this new project will help create a diverse, environmentally resilient resource for the local area.”

The project was assessed and approved by the Forestry Commission to ensure it met the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS ), which is the reference standard for sustainable forest management across the UK. The Forestry Commission also provided the initial funding for the project via the Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG), which supports the preparation of woodland creation design plans.

The woodland creation and community engagement element of the project will be funded by the North East Community Forest Trees for Climate grant, a woodland creation programme managed by the North East Community Forest and funded by the UK Government via the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Trees Programme.