City of York Council is working in partnership with Forestry England to create an extensive new woodland of predominantly native mixed broadleaf species on 195-acres of land to the West of York. This area is now known as York Community Woodland. The woodland opened to the public in August 2024 providing access to new tracks and trails and almost 200,000 new trees and shrubs. It will continue to develop and mature over coming decades.
The woodland has been secured for future generations under the management of Forestry England. For the latest updates on the York Community Woodland project, including any project queries, volunteering opportunities and how to sign up to be kept informed on the woodland’s progress, read the Forestry England York Community Woodland page.
As part of joint objectives to increase green spaces and promote health and wellbeing, Forestry England is creating and managing the woodland to a specification agreed with City of York Council.
York Community Woodland won the prestigious John Boddy Award for Forestry in July 2023, celebrating the woodland’s excellence is forestry creation, design and management. The award was announced at the Great Yorkshire Show, after being judged by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, Royal Forestry Society and Forestry Commission.
York Community Woodland also received Silver at the RFS Excellence in Forestry Community Woodland of the Year Award 2023 sponsored by the Woodland Trust.
Latest news
Forestry England takes on lead role for engagement activity
The first year of woodland creation welcomed over 200 residents and community members to the York Community Woodland site. Activities such as woodland walks, wildflower meadow sowing, and tree planting provided opportunities for people to get involved in developing woodland skills. Forestry England has taken over management of engagement on the woodland project. They will continue talking to the local community as the woodland’s journey progresses, providing updates and opportunities for York’s residents to get involved.
To read more about the woodland creation process at York Community Woodland, stay up to date with the Forestry England newsletter.
To contact Forestry England email: communicationsyfd@forestryengland.uk.
The plan
The Council’s high-level vision for the woodland is set out below.
The new woodland will be a well-designed, bio-diverse, green space providing a place for peaceful contemplation and leisure for the people of York. This will create a new stray for the city, support the climate change ambition, enhance the setting of the city and make York an even greater place to live, work and visit.
The location
The woodland site covers 195 acres / 78 hectares of land just west of the village of Knapton.
The land is bounded to the east by the A1237 outer ring road, to the south by the B1224 Wetherby Road, to the west by the Harewood Whin disused waste disposal site and to the north by the York to Rufforth bridleway and cycle path.
The site is just south of the Poppleton Bar Park and Ride bus service and within short walking distance of the train station in Poppleton village. There is provision for bike parking within the small car park at the bottom end of North Field Lane.
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City of York Council is part of the White Rose Forest partnership who have supported development of the project.
Photo courtesy of Bankhead Droneography.
The benefits
The woodland will enable the council to deliver the following objectives:
- plant trees for carbon capture (absorbing carbon from the atmosphere), as part of a wider council commitment to reach net zero carbon by 2030
- increase access to green space in York and improve the health and wellbeing of local residents
- increase biodiversity, wildlife habitats and protect endangered species
- enhance York’s active travel network, including new walking and cycling routes
- opportunities for new green jobs, green skills development and volunteering
Reports
Read the report:
- presented at the 8 September 2021 Executive Member decision session
- presented at the 26 August Executive Member decision session
- York Community Woodland Site Assessment Report - March 2021
Also see
