A grant of more than £1 million will fund thousands of new trees across Lancashire.

Lancashire County Council was successful in its bid for £1,002,514 from the Local Authority Treescapes Fund, 'the largest award ever given' by the Forestry Commission.

The scheme aims to restore trees in non-woodland areas that have been affected by disease, ageing, or habitat degradation.

The grant will fund around 965 trees, each between 5ft and 8ft tall.

Approximately 465 of these will replace 'dead or damaged highway trees' across the county.

The remaining 500 trees will be planted in parks, schools, and other premises in Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Preston, Blackpool and Fylde.

Additionally, the grant will fund 24,000 saplings, which are small trees that need time to mature.

Most of these will be planted as Miyawaki Micro-woods, a special planting method that optimises growth.

The aim is to create up to 16 new Micro-woods, with at least one in each Lancashire borough.

Each Micro-wood will contain 1,500 tree and shrub plants and will be planted in an area slightly larger than a tennis court.

This unique tree-planting technique was developed by Japanese botanist Dr Akira Miyawaki.

It involves enhancing the soil and planting trees closer together, resulting in faster growth than traditional techniques.

This faster growth allows carbon to be absorbed more quickly.

Councillor Shaun Turner said: "It is wonderful to see this £1 million investment in trees across Lancashire – and these will be planted across the county in a range of different schemes.

"The Miyawaki Micro-woods are fantastic as they absorb carbon faster than traditionally planted woodlands do, as they will grow faster and be so densely populated.

"We are looking forward to rolling out this scheme as soon as possible."