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.

Geoff Garrett, the authority's trees and woodland officer, said: "New woods provide shelter for wildlife and livestock, and timber for use on the farm, as well as contributing to this outstanding area.

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

"Unusually this year, we are able to offer our own grants towards creating the woodlands and we hope to make them go further by using other money from the Forestry Commission and from 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."

The authority is hoping to hear, within the next few weeks, from landowners who have areas they are considering turning over to trees, ideally next to existing woodland.

Anyone interested in taking part in the scheme can contact Geoff Garrett on (0870) 166 6333.