Over 3,000 hectares of new woodlands are set to be planted along England’s rivers and watercourses with backing from the country’s leading environmental organisations, Forestry Minister Lord Goldsmith announced today (Saturday 25 September).
£1.4m of new funding for tree-planting projects with a focus on the water environment this financial year.
This programme is competitive and will be prioritised by the EA, first at an area level and secondly on a national level. We will be prioritising projects based on the following criteria: - Confidence in ability to deliver by March 2021 - Contribution to improving water environment including WFD status, NFM etc. - Value for money - Scale, we will be looking for larger projects in the region of £50 – 95k.
The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) has developed an online tool to calculate the anti-pollution effect of planting trees in local areas.
From the Cumbria Crack: "West Cumbria Rivers Trust have completed two river restoration projects in West Cumbria this summer to help improve the quality of the River Marron. At two sites at Ullock and Branthwaite on the River Marron, river bank erosion has been reduced and man-made structures have been removed to help naturalise the river, benefit the river ecology and wildlife, and allow fish, such as Salmon, to thrive. At Ullock, a weir was removed and at Branthwaite Hall, an abutment and buttress were removed to help naturalise the river Marron and enable the free movement of native fish
