Cumbria coastal community forest

A major project is underway to plant almost 7,000 football pitches worth of trees between Carlisle and Barrow.

Up to 150 hectares of trees, woodlands and forests are being planted along the western coast of Cumbria over the next few years.

That is the equivalent of about 210 football pitches and is one tree for every resident in Copeland, Barrow and Allerdale by 2026.

Ultimately, the aim is to create a minimum of 5,000 hectares of new woodland along a 56 mile stretch of the west coast over the next 25 years - that's the size of almost 7,000 football pitches.

By growing trees where they are most needed, these corridors of woodlands, from Barrow to Carlisle, will better connect coastal communities to nature. This will help people enjoy the benefits of being out close to trees and woodlands, enhance biodiversity and provide resilience to help reduce the effects of climate change, such as flooding and drought, on local communities through carbon capture, and nature-based solutions.

Unlike traditional forests, community forests aren't geographically restricted to one place. Instead, they are a spread out across a mix of community woodland, private woodland, on street, urban woodland, wooded habitat corridors and hedgerows.

They are bespoke forests for the specific areas, depending on the wants and needs of the communities and landowners.

More details about the project can be found at Cumbria coastal community forest.