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04
Jul
Cost of creating 66,000-tree forest near Harrogate revealed
A new forest planted near Harrogate looks set to cost nearly £400,000.
Forestry England announced plans to create a 35-hectare forest at Haverah Park, near Beckwithshaw, in April 2024.
The Stray Ferret has followed the project closely for more than a year, repeatedly asking Forestry England, which is a division of the Forestry Commission public body, for updates.
We have asked for the cost of the project, including how much Forestry England bought the land for, and the number of trees planted but the cost of the taxpayer-funded project has remained a secret - until now.
The Stray Ferret recently submitted a Freedom of Information request to Forestry England to ascertain the cost of the forest. This is the second FOI request we have put to the body about the project, which involves public spending.
In its response, Forestry England said project spending to March 31 this year was £237,734. The projected total spend is £370,000.
The scheme is part of Forestry England’s woodland creation programme and is being funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ nature for climate fund until 2028/2029.
However, Forestry England declined to disclose how much it bought the land that now facilitates the forest for.
It said the information was "non-disclosable as vendors expect an element of discretion when agreeing commercial transactions".
Forestry England told the Stray Ferret planting at Haverah Park got underway in February and is now complete, with 66,000 trees planted.
Approximately 88,000 trees were previously expected to be planted.
Background to project
The woodland has been created in commemoration of King Charles III’s coronation.
The project is part of a government commitment to plant 30,000 hectares of new woodland in England per year by 2025.
Sections of Haverah Park forest will be felled in 25 years to create more timber, a spokesperson told the Stray Ferret at a consultation event last July, adding around 80% of the country’s timber is currently imported.
They said at the time:
North Yorkshire is really under-wooded. The Yorkshire Dales National Park is actually the least-forested national park in the country.
The spokesperson said felling will be done “little by little” – as species grow at different rates – but once the timber has been collected, felled areas will be replanted again.
As part of its response to our FOI request, Forestry England said the trees planted will be restocked depending on how well they grow over the coming years.
Haverah Park Forest has been planted with a mixture of broadleaf and conifer trees species, which Forestry England said have been chosen to match local soils.
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