South Yorkshire’s push for more trees

A new feature by David Bocking in local magazine It’s Looking A Bit Black Over Bill’s Mother’s explores the growing effort to expand woodland across South Yorkshire, and the scale of the challenge ahead.

England now has a national target to increase tree canopy cover to 16.5% by 2050, including both woodlands and trees outside woodland. According to the South Yorkshire Woodland Partnership, South Yorkshire currently sits slightly ahead of the national average, with 10.5% woodland cover compared with England’s 10.3%. Even so, the region remains far behind the European average of around 44%.

Over the past five years the partnership has helped plant well over half a million trees and shrubs across South Yorkshire. By March 2025 this included 162 hectares of new woodland and around 7.5 kilometres of hedgerow.

Manager Matt North and colleague Alex Evans explain that creating new woodland is not as simple as putting trees in the ground. Planting plans need to consider archaeology, soil conditions, wildlife habitats, and the increasing pressures of climate change and tree diseases. The team works with landowners to navigate the process and access available grants, which often cover most of the cost.

Reaching the 2050 canopy target will require around 1,552 hectares of new woodland in South Yorkshire, roughly 15 square kilometres. It is a significant ambition, and one that will depend on collaboration between farmers, landowners, communities and conservation organisations.

You can read David’s full feature here: