A WOODLAND initiative to encourage farmers to plant trees in Yorkshire's national parks celebrated its tenth anniversary this week.

The milestone will not be marked in the woods, but in a plush hotel on the Swinton Park Estate, near Masham, which has switched to an eco-friendly wood fuel heating system.

The Yorwoods campaign was launched in 1998 with backing from the Forestry Commission and the former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Since then it has secured a £1m investment into the forestry sector, created or safeguarded 70 jobs in the woodland supply chain, and ensured the certification of 6,000 acres of woodland to a benchmark of green- management.

However, director Will Richardson said the biggest opportunities still lay ahead, particularly helping Yorkshire's businesses tap the growing market for wood fuel.

According to estimates, more than half the region's woods are under-managed and capable of generating more timber, including for wood fuel generation.

He said: "Yorkshire's biggest untapped resource is staring us in the face - its trees and woodlands.

"We have come a long way in a short time helping to secure the sustainable use of our timber and help businesses succeed, from woodland contractors to cabinet makers and hauliers. But we can do more and that will be our aim."