Bradford Council Targets 17% Tree Canopy in
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- Bradford Council released its Enhanced Biodiversity Report on Tuesday, pledging to raise tree canopy cover from 9.14% — below the national target of 16.5% — to 17% across the city.
- Strategic Director for Growth David Shepherd acknowledged the district had made progress on greening efforts over the past five years but said 'we need to continue working to expand our efforts' to give all residents access to green spaces and wildlife.
- Bradford's landscape is two-thirds rural, with 17% of the city designated as protected sites and priority habitats — moorland, woodland and wetlands — covering 19% of the district.
- The Bradford Pennine Gateway, the district's first National Nature Reserve, launched in May 2025 spanning Ilkley Moor, Penistone Country Park, Shipley Glen and St Ives Estate, and was named one of Condé Nast Traveller's Seven Wonders of the World for 2026.
- Eight new Local Nature Reserves were created in June 2025, and more than 60,000 trees were planted across the district between 2020 and 2023.
Why it matters: Bradford's current 9.14% canopy sits well below England's 16.5% national target, so the council's pledge to reach 17% represents one of the more ambitious local uplift commitments in the region — and with two-thirds of the district rural, expanded habitat protections directly affect the majority of residents who rely on those landscapes.
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