More than 213,000 trees are to be planted in Cumbria this winter - a third of the number that were planted in the whole of the UK last year.

The scheme is largest scheme of its kind in England for more than 25 years and will see trees planted over 170 hectares at the Lowther Estate, near Penrith.

The application was driven by Ian Jack, the recently retired estate forester, and is supported by funding from the Woodland Creation Planning Grant.

The planting site, known as Jack's Wood, will connect with the rest of the estate, joining existing woodland and providing essential timber for local sawmills.

Caroline Harrison is the Confederation of Forest Industries' England Manager:

This winter, we will see more large-scale planting activity in England than we have for some time and we hope it will usher in a series of busy planting seasons - to help protect and create jobs and investment in our rural communities, have a positive impact on climate change targets and the wider environment and provide a great raw material for future generations to build with."

She also praised Ian Jack:

The application process proved very onerous and may well have put a stop to the scheme, if it hadn't been for the dedication of Ian Jack and his belief that this substantial new woodland will provide multiple benefits to both the Estate and local community for generations to come.”

 – CAROLINE HARRISON, ENGLAND MANAGER, CONFOR

The money for the Woodland Creation Planning Grant came from a £1 million fund announced at a Confor event by the then Forestry Minister Rory Stewart, in November 2015.