Volunteers sought for tree planting project in West Yorkshire

As part of a project to plant 300,000 trees across North and West Yorkshire, Yorkshire Water and the National Trust are seeking volunteers to help create woodland around Ryburn reservoir.

Community tree planting events are being held on 22 March at 10am - 1pm, where volunteers will have the opportunity to contribute to the planting of 8,000 trees at Yorkshire Water’s Ryburn reservoir, and neighbouring Baitings reservoir, near Ripponden. Throughout 2025, over 50,000 trees will be planted on Yorkshire Water’s land as part of their partnership project with the National Trust, Landscapes for Water.

Hazel Earnshaw, lead countryside and woodland advisor at Yorkshire Water, said: “Volunteers helped to plant the first of the trees at Ryburn just under a year ago, and we’re hoping that the community will join us once again as we continue the project. It’s a brilliant opportunity to be a part of history and make a positive mark on the local area.”

The new woodland comes as part of the Landscapes for Water project - a wider initiative between the National Trust and Yorkshire Water to improve landscapes, wildlife habitats, and provide natural flood defences to protect the environment and nearby communities.

National Trust Volunteer and Community Officer, Adam said “This is an exciting opportunity for people to get involved with the project, we have 1,000’s of trees to plant so it would be great for us to have some helping hands.”

The £7m project will see 350 hectares of new woodland created on five sites across the south Pennines and is funded by the White Rose Forest via their Trees for Climate grant programme, and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.  As well as tree planting, Landscapes for Water will see the installation of 3,500 leaky dams, and moorland restoration through sphagnum moss planting. The programme is supported by the White Rose Forest (through ‘Trees For Climate’, funded by Defra’s Nature for Climate Fund); Woodland Trust, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Environment Agency and Calderdale Council.

To book your space on the planting day, please visit the Landscapes for Water website or email L4W@nationaltrust.org.uk

Landscapes for Water: Community tree planting | National Trust