Frequently asked questions
What does a tree dedication pay for? How much carbon can a tree lock away? What tree species do you plant? Find the answers to your frequently asked questions about tree dedications here.
Where are the woodlands?
When you dedicate a tree you can choose from one of our new supporter woodlands in the Yorkshire Dales or nearby. We usually have two woodlands to chose from and we change woodlands every one or two years. Our supporter woodlands are generally easy to access with a public footpath nearby or passing through. Find out more about our Supporter Woodlands.
How can I visit the woodland?
Our Supporter Woodlands are planted on private land with public footpaths nearby or passing through, so you can visit provided you remain on public rights of way. We also hold woodland open days once or twice a year which offer a chance for you to fully explore that year’s supporter woodlands. Make sure you’re signed up to our newsletter to receive details of our woodland open days!
Can I choose where the trees will be planted within the wood?
We cannot usually meet requests for specific locations of individual trees within our supporter woodlands. However, if you are considering a substantial donation we have other woodland projects that may be more appropriate for your needs. Please contact us if you’d like to talk to us about this.
What species do you plant?
Your donations help us to plant trees that are found naturally in the Dales. The mix of species planted in each new woodland will vary depending on its location, but can include Aspen, Bird Cherry, Blackthorn, Crab Apple, Downy Birch, Field Maple, Hawthorn, Hazel, Holly, Rowan, Scotts Pine, Sessile Oak, and Wild Cherry. There’s a list of species planted in each wood on our Supporter Woodland page.
Are the woodlands owned by Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust?
All the woodlands are privately owned by Dales farmers, landowners and residents. The YDMT Woodland Grant Programme is part of the Dales Woodland Restoration Programme, working with partners including the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Nidderdale AONB, the Woodland Trust and the Forestry Commission. We arrange funding, put legal agreements in place to ensure the woodlands are protected, and provide support to landowners.
How are the trees protected?
The YDMT woodland grants provide funding for fencing to keep the newly planted trees free of livestock, and tree guards to help protect the young saplings from deer, rabbits and voles. Currently, the tree guards used are nearly all made from plastic. However, YDMT is working hard to remove the reliance on single use plastic within the forestry sector and encouraging other organisations to help find a more environmentally friendly way of protecting trees.
What are you doing about plastic tree guards?
Hundreds of thousands of plastic tree guards are used every year to protect new trees as they grow.
These plastic guards enable trees to survive and thrive - acting as mini greenhouses and providing protection from browsing animals, weeds and herbicides until the tree is fully established.
Most tree guards are made from single-use plastic. Currently there are very few alternatives to plastic guards that have been trialled and tested and shown to be successful.
In January 2020 we helped establish the Forestry Plastic Group to provide guidance and share information about plastic use in forestry and to promote the environmental benefits of forest management. On a practical level our Plastic Free Woodlands project will see more than 7,000 trees planted to trial alternatives to plastic tree guards. We are also removing and recycling (where possible) redundant plastic tree guards from existing woodlands.
When are the trees planted?
Tree planting takes place between October and March when the trees are dormant. This means the trees will have already been planted by the time you make your dedication. Most of our supporter woodlands are recently planted, and we also accept dedications in some of our more established woodlands.
What comes in the tree dedication gift pack?
If you choose a postal tree dedication we will send you, or the recipient of your gift, a special gift pack, which includes:
- A personalised certificate
- A Yorkshire Dales woodland card with your personal message printed inside
- Information about our woodlands and the types of trees you can find there
What is the difference between a postal tree dedication and an online tree dedication?
Online tree dedications are emailed to you so straight away, so you can download and print the certificate from home. You’ll also have the chance to sign up to receive our newsletter, so we can send updates about your trees and let you know about our woodland open days.
What does my tree dedication pay for?
Your donation is used to help Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust continue its wide range of work to support the people, wildlife and landscape in the Yorkshire Dales and nearby. This work includes supporting the planting of new trees as well as the wider work that goes into creating and maintaining a new woodland.
Will individual trees be identified? Do you put plaques on the trees?
Our aim is to create natural woodlands, so we don’t mark individual trees in any way.
What difference can one tree make?
Every single tree provides a multitude of benefits whether standing alone or in a woodland.
If we take the example of an ash tree and just think about biodiversity – there are more than 47 different ground flora species associated with this tree, many of which are threatened. Other organisms that benefit are – Birds, Mammals, Bryophytes, Fungi, Lichens, and Invertebrates – of which there are 955 associated species with Ash. This is before giving consideration to other benefits we gain such as shade, beauty, landscape enhancement, prevention of erosion, flood mitigation and carbon capture.
What are you doing about ash dieback?
A plant health order introduced in 2012 has prohibited the movement and planting of Ash trees in the UK. This was to reduce the spread of the disease that has now unfortunately reached every part of the country. It was originally estimated that 90 – 95% of all Ash trees would die. More recently however, it is thought that a higher percentage of trees are showing resistance to the disease and so the survival rate has increased. There is no doubt that here in the Dales, Ash dieback will have a huge impact on our woodlands and landscape.
There is no one tree that can replace ash. It is strongly recommended to plant a rich variety of species to increase the resilience of our woodlands and to create a variety of habitats to mitigate the impact the loss of these trees will have. Small leaved lime, aspen, alder, birch, rowan and oaks, are possible alternatives.
How much carbon do trees lock away?
This is a really tricky question because every tree and every woodland is so different. So many things affect how well a woodland absorbs carbon dioxide, from the species of trees planted, how many are planted and at what distance apart, to the soil conditions, and the weather conditions. Even things like tree protection and long-term woodland management have to be considered. We’ve worked at woodlands where a single tree can absorb 0.35 tonnes over 45 years, but other woodlands perhaps in higher areas of the Dales, may absorb much less. The figure we usually work with for a typical dales woodland is 6 trees can lock away a tonne of carbon over 50 years – but we always need to remember that for some trees it might be less, and for others it might be more!
How do you work with other organisations?
All woodland schemes are done in partnership. There are always different stakeholders and partners involved, each site is unique. It might be that we work in partnership with the landowner, the Yorkshire Dales National park, Nidderdale AONB or Forest of Bowland AONB, Woodland Trust, Forestry Commission or others (or a combination of these).
Similarly, funding for each site may be different. Often a YDMT woodland grant may cover all the costs involved including trees and sundries, fencing, labour and first year weeding. However, some schemes are funded through a partnership approach that provides better value for money for all involved.
Can I plant my own tree?
We hold special tree planting events during tree planting season (between October and March) for our supporters and partners. You can find out more about these events by signing up to our newsletter
Can I spread ashes at the woodland?
We can occasionally meet requests to scatter ashes in supporter woodlands, but this requires prior permission from the landowner and is not always possible. Please contact us in the first instance for more information.
