The charity is to launch a fundraising appeal during National Tree Week to help benefit biodiversity, wildlife and improve tree health in neglected small woodlands across the Yorkshire Dales

A Yorkshire Dales charity is to launch a fundraising appeal during National Tree Week to help benefit biodiversity, wildlife and improve tree health in neglected small woodlands across the Yorkshire Dales, Nidderdale, Cumbria and nearby.

Through its ‘Save our Small Woodlands’ campaign, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) is hoping to raise £10,000 to help landowners and communities to actively care for their small woodlands.

Every donation made to the campaign through the Big Give website - bit.ly/save-small-woods - will be doubled while funds last thanks to match funding from long-term partner JT Atkinson and the Big Give. 

Mike Appleton, Woodland Management Officer at YDMT, said: ‘'Just 9% of England’s native woodlands are in good ecological condition, and one third of all woodland species are in decline. Small woodlands have the potential to be mighty marvels, but they need to be actively managed to reach their full potential as biodiverse, resilient habitats for nature and people. Through this fundraising campaign and our wider woodland management strategy, we will help landowners and communities in and around the Yorkshire Dales to care for their small woodlands, helping to improve biodiversity and benefit wildlife and tree health.‘’

JT Atkinson, an independent, family-run builders merchant with 37 branches across Cumbria, Yorkshire and the North East, have been working with YDMT since 2020 to deliver a range of woodland creation projects, and to support disadvantaged and young people to connect with nature.

Jamie Atkinson, Managing Director, JT Atkinson Builders Merchant, said: "At JT Atkinson, we are deeply committed to preserving and enhancing the environment where we live and work. That’s why we are proud to support Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust’s 'Save Our Small Woodlands' campaign during National Tree Week. By matching donations made through the Big Give, we hope to inspire others to join us in supporting this initiative. Together, we can help to ensure these woodlands are protected for future generations. This partnership reflects our longstanding dedication to the communities and landscapes we serve, and we are excited to continue working with YDMT to make a lasting difference."

YDMT has a target over the next three years to bring 50 small woodlands into active management, while also providing opportunities for hundreds of volunteers and landowners to develop their skills and knowledge to care for and nurture woodlands in the future.

Through this fundraising campaign and its wider Woodland Management project, with thanks to the Peter Sowerby Foundation, the charity will work with landowners and communities to create exciting plans for their woodlands to support more wildlife and fund the practical works - like coppicing, identifying and protecting future veteran trees, creating glades and underplanting.

Donations to the campaign can be made via The Big Give website bit.ly/save-small-woods from 27 November – 3 December 2024.