Plans for National Forest 'running the length and breadth of Wales' unveiled

The Welsh Government have unveiled plans for a new National Forest.

Plans would see the woodland run "the length and breadth of Wales."

It will mean creating new areas of forest as well as helping to restore and maintain existing woods.

It is hoped this new forest network will help to boost tourism whilst also playing an important role in protecting nature and addressing biodiversity loss.

Forming part of the National Forest, The Woodland Trust have also announced that a new woodland the size of 100 rugby pitches will be planted in Neath over the next five years.

The National Forest will include incorporating existing woods as well as creating news ones. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

The National Forest will be supported by a fund of £5 million from this year's budget and is described as "a connected ecological network running throughout Wales."

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “There is no escaping the huge environmental challenges the world is facing - the February floods have brought that home to us in Wales in the most devastating way.

“We have a responsibility to future generations to protect nature from the dangers of our changing climate but a healthy natural environment will also offer protection to our communities from the dangers we ourselves face."

Welsh Government hope this new forest network will help boost tourism as well as playing an important role in protecting nature and addressing biodiversity loss. Credit: Welsh Government

As part of the plans, a brand new large woodland will be created in south Wales over the next five years.

Around 150,000 native trees will be planted by the Woodland Trust next to Gnoll Country Park in Neath.

Once completed, the site will be accessible to the public and within an hour’s journey of more than 600,000 people within south Wales.

The trees will help fight against the effects of climate change by purifying the air and storing the carbon. They will also soak up some excess water which could otherwise run down the hills and contribute to flooding risk in Neath below.

The tree planting the Trust aims to undertake across the whole site would capture over 23,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

All of the trees planted will be sourced and grown from the UK, so as to avoid any risk in importing tree diseases.

The new site in Neath will be the size of 100 rugby pitches. Credit: Keith Levit/PA Images

Established in 1972, Woodland Trust (Coed Cadw) is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK and have over 100 sites in Wales.

On March 10, it was announced hundreds of thousands of seagrass seeds were planted off the Pembrokeshire coast as part of the UK's biggest ever seagrass restoration scheme. It's part of a project aimed to help tackle climate change.