Bringing back the birds: the 'ghost woodlands' transforming England's barren sheep fells

A groundbreaking tree-planting programme is uniting farmers and rewilders, as portions of common ground in the Yorkshire Dales national park are being restored to their ancient gloryPhotographs by Rebecca ColeThe Howgill Fells are a smooth, treeless cluster of hills in the Yorkshire Dales national park, so bald and lumpy that they are sometimes described as a herd of sleeping elephants. Their bare appearance - stark even by UK standards - has been shaped by centuries of sheep grazing. Yet beneath the soil lie ancient tree roots: the silent traces of long-lost "ghost woodlands".Over the past 12 years, 300,000 native trees have been planted by the project Continue reading...