A scheme to tackle the problem of disappearing woodland across some of the region's most picturesque countryside has been given a financial boost.

During the next two years the conservation charity, the Woodland Trust, plans to spend more than £500,000 on its Yorkshire Dales Landscape Project.

However, it must first raise the necessary cash and York-based housebuilders Persimmon have got the appeal off to a flying start with sponsorship of £20,000.

The trust plans to concentrate its project on those areas in the Dales where woodland and trees need assistance and support in order to survive and thrive.

Working with local people, including landowners, will be crucial if the results on the ground are to be maximised.

Director of fundraising Karl Mitchell said the sponsorship was not just support for the appeal but also for rural life in the Dales.

"We are delighted to receive Persimmon's support, particularly as their roots lie in Yorkshire," he said.

"Money raised will be used to fund woodland schemes proposed by local people and, by matching public donations with existing grants and trust funds, it is hoped that every £1 donated to the appeal will be turned into £3 for the work."

Changes in farming, as well as grazing by sheep, have led to a decline in the number of trees across the Dales, and now only one per cent of the area is covered by native woodland.

To improve on that and get maximum results on the ground the trust is working with other organisations, including the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and the National Park Authority.

The trust itself has become the UK's leading woodland conservation charity since it was formed in 1972 and it now boasts 250,000 members and supporters.

It has more than 1,100 sites in its care across the country, covering 43,700 acres.