The total area of woodland in the AONB is just over 4000 hectares or 7.2% of the designated area.  56% is composed of coniferous species in plantations most of which were established between 1950 and 1970. With the exception of part of Stainburn Forest in the south eastern corner of the AONB which belongs to Forest Enterprise, the AONB's plantation woodland is privately owned, mostly by large estates, where forestry is often integrated with pheasant shoots. Yorkshire Water also owns and manages substantial areas of plantation woodland.

33% of the AONB's woodland is broadleaved and occurs in larger estate-managed plantations and in small relatively isolated stands on farms. Small broadleaved woods like these, often associated with farmsteads in the upper dales, have a very high landscape value.

Woodland is an integral feature of the AONB's many historic parks and gardens where it forms extensive stands as a backdrop to buildings, and either as small groups or individual trees in parkland. Veteran trees occur in several historic parklands in the AONB including Studley Royal designed by John and William Aislabie in the C18th. William Aislabie was also responsible for a design of the 42 ha of Hackfall near Masham, an ancient woodland with several follies created to form a 'pleasure ground' for visitors to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal.