FARMERS and landowners are being offered cash to grow trees in the Yorkshire Dales.

The incentive is part of a drive by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to increase the amount of woodland in the area.

"New woods provide shelter for wildlife and livestock and timber for use on the farm, as well as contributing to this outstanding area," said Geoff Garrett, YDNPA trees and woodland officer. "The authority has been encouraging the creation of woodlands within the park for many years.

"At the moment, 1.6 per cent of the park is covered by broadleaf woodland and the authority wants to see that doubled by 2020."

The park is able to offer its own grants this year and hopes to make them go further with money from the Forestry Commission and the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.

"We will do all the work required to plan the woodland as well as applying for the grants to plant and arranging for the work to go ahead," said Mr Garrett. "We hope the grants will be able to cover all the costs of planting, although a small contribution may be required either in cash or in kind."

Because of the amount of work involved at the planning stage, the authority is hoping to hear within the next few weeks from landowners with areas they are considering turning over to trees, ideally next to existing woodland.

The next planting season begins in November. Although the authority would like to see mainly broadleaf woodlands, there may be occasional mixtures of broadleaf and conifers.

Anyone interested should contact Mr Garrett on 08701 666 333.