Leeds woodland opens to public for first time with new walking route at Gair Wood
Walkers and joggers can finally enjoy a safer route as a new public footpath opens at Gair Wood in Leeds, linking the Meanwood Valley Trail and the Leeds Country Way and steering people away from the busy King Lane.
The footpath marks the first time the public has been granted access to Gair Wood, a 36-hectare woodland creation project owned by the University of Leeds.
Three years ago, more than 60,000 trees were planted at the site to enhance the local environment and support research and teaching.
The site has been closed to the general public to allow the young trees to grow without risk of disease. However, as the trees have become more established, a path has been created adjacent to King Lane, running along the southern edge of the site.
Gair Wood has been a collaboration between the University of Leeds and the local community, said Dr Cat Scott, Associate Professor in the Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science.
“It’s important that both local residents and visitors to the area can benefit from the new woodland,” she continued. “Now walkers on two popular routes can pass through our site to avoid walking alongside a busy road. Over the next few years, we plan to open more paths once the new trees and hedges are a little bigger.”
Professor Nick Plant, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation at the University of Leeds, said the opening of the new path “marks an important step in making Gair Wood more accessible”, connecting people with a landscape that is “evolving to meet the challenges of climate change”.
Native trees, including oak, alder, silver birch, willow, hawthorn, and holly, have been planted at Gair Wood with support from the White Rose Forest through its government-funded Trees for Climate programme, which has also contributed to the creation of paths and fencing.
The trees are looked after by volunteers from the Friends of Gair Wood, including Naomi Cohen, who lives in Alwoodley Gates and has been volunteering since February 2022.
“My 21-year-old daughter, Leanna, has also come to some of these volunteering sessions, and they have been wonderful bonding experiences,” she said. “I love that she’s inherited my interest in nature and is now studying biology at university.
“She will be able to witness those trees grow over her lifetime. We were both involved in the original planting, so to see it evolving into a biodiverse woodland right on our doorstep is really exciting.”
Help has also come from the Emmerdale cast and crew, who have helped maintain the site by checking tree guards to ensure they are clear of grass and other fast-growing plants.
Gair Wood is named after longtime University Secretary Roger Gair, who planted the first tree on the site in October 2022.
As part of the University’s climate plan, the aim of the project is to create a woodland that enhances biodiversity, stores carbon, and acts as a living laboratory for research and teaching.