Tree and Woods Strategy
West Northamptonshire has a below UK average canopy cover. Our ambitious vision sets a target to double the cover by 2045. Our vision is to double the canopy cover of West Northamptonshire to 20% with suitable and well managed trees and woodland.
Strategy themes
How we will achieve this is set out in the five themes of the strategy.
- planting new trees and woods across the district in our towns, villages and rural areas
- doing this carefully to ensure we enhance the local landscape, benefit our communities and wildlife
- carefully selecting the species and their mix to have a diverse and resilient tree population, protected from some of the worst effects of climate change and diseases
- managing our existing trees and woods to maximise their many benefits and meet our obligations
- protecting our most important trees
This will give the opportunity to review and revise our current practices to ensure we meet current expectations.
To achieve the vision we need to work together. We will work closely with our Parish and Town Council’s identifying planting opportunities and guiding responsible tree care. We will be coordinating the management of WNC-owned trees.
- working proactively to ensure we can maximise external funding opportunities as and when they become available
- introducing methods to ensure suitable and sufficient replacement trees are planted when existing ones have to be removed
- using current funding in the most effective ways to achieve our vision and meet our obligations. Identify any savings or shortfalls
We will:
- report annually on the progress noting our successes and ongoing challenges
- review and revise our practices to learn, improve and share best practice
- conduct a full review and revision of the strategy in year 5
The full detail can be found within the strategy document below.
A summary document is being prepared and will be available soon.
Projects in West Northamptonshire
Parklands mini forest
We were awarded funding from the Coronation Heritage Living Fund to plant a micro wood in Northampton. Micro woods follow the Miyawaki Method, pioneered by Japanese botanist Dr Akira Miyawaki. The aim is to enhance the environment for people, wildlife, biosecurity, and the ecosystem.
The method involves densely planting small urban plots with a variety of native canopy trees, sub-canopy trees, and understory trees and shrubs. The mini forest creates a biodiversity-rich woodland habitat, achieving a fully established woodland habitat in just 20 years, compared to the usual 100 years.
Resilience and Innovation Northants (RAIN)
RAIN, led by West Northamptonshire Council in partnership with North Northamptonshire Council, is funded by Defra as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes (#FCRIP). They are managed by the Environment Agency.
These programmes will drive innovation in flood and coastal resilience and adaptation to a changing climate.
View a full list of RAIN programmes.
Last updated 04 March 2025