West and North Yorkshire wide tree planting programme White Rose Forest progress hit by Covid

The White Rose Forest, which is being built in the west and north of the region, will eventually create 250 hectares of new woodland by 2050, if the scheme's original ambitions are fulfilled.

But successive lockdowns have limited the number of trees planted over the last 12 months to less than a quarter of what was originally forecast.

There have also been issues with getting permission to cultivate certain areas.

Wakefield Council, which is joining five other local authorities in helping to build the forest on public land, said the issue did not amount to a "setback", adding that the numbers lost this year could be made up later on.

Gary Blenkinsop, the council's service director for environment, said: "Due to issues relating to the ongoing coronavirus restrictions, the planting for this year will have to be scaled back to roughly 20 to 25 per cent of what was originally envisaged.

"The health and safety of any staff, volunteers and partners involved in planting is obviously paramount and we have to be responsible and flexible.

"There have also been a few delays associated with Forestry Commission consents for planting plans, which have then had knock-on effects.

"This is only a temporary lowering of output that is entirely recoverable once circumstances beyond our control have resolved themselves.”

The White Rose Forest is one of four programmes linked into the Northern Forest project, which will see a cross-Pennine line of trees built from Liverpool all the way across to Hull.

Those behind the scheme say it will create 50 million trees.

Local Democracy Reporting Service