THE Forest of Bowland is set to benefit from a cash windfall that will see more than 300,000 new trees planted in a pioneering scheme.

The Scamp project - sustainable catchment management programme - will see 311,000 trees planted in the Forest of Bowland and the Derbyshire Peak District.

The £500,000 scheme, funded by the Forestry Commission and United Utilities, is aimed at attracting rare birds and improving water quality for treatment plants.

Ancient oak uplands were once common places in the region but have diminished due to agricultural and intensive farming methods.

The Scamp project aims to recreate those woodland areas with a five-year planting scheme over 500 hectares.

In total, 22 farmers have volunteered to give up grazing land and will receive £60 a hectare every year over 15 years from the Forestry Commission for managing the new woodlands.

Scamp project manager Martin McGrath said: "It's a big project but we won't be creating really dense forest areas. There will be plenty of open spaces and the planting will be in keeping with the landscape."

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is part of the scamp project and they hope juniper bushes planted in the Forest of Bowland will provide threatened species with berries to eat before migration.

The wave of tree planting could also attract rare birds such as the redstart, wood warbler and pied flycatcher.

The scheme has already seen livestock taken off the moors during winter months to help the regrowth of heather. United Utilities will invest in farm buildings allowing the farmer to house livestock throughout the winter, keeping them off the moorland.

And bogs which were drained by previous generations so that the land could be farmed are being re-wetted, making them suitable for wildlife.

The Forest of Bowland is one of the top regions in the country for the breeding hen harriers and it is hoped this work will encourage them to prosper.

A United Utilities spokesman said: "As well as the small United Utilities team of five in the Forest of Bowland, we work with two RSPB employees on the Birds of Bowland project, which we jointly fund.

"We have 70 per cent of the entire UK breeding population of hen harriers on our ground and our work is recognised by the community and nationally."