Woodlands can provide a wealth of environmental, economic and social benefits, including:
- Timber production
- Wood fuel production
- Carbon capture and the sale of carbon credits
- Recreational business opportunities
- Flood prevention
- Soil protection
- Improving air quality
- Shelter and screening
- Supporting wildlife habitats and pollinators
- Protecting biodiversity
Current Funding Opportunities
There are a number of funding options available to help landowners’ plant new woodland on their land.
From 1 hectare to large scale projects of over 10 hectares, support is available to help plant more trees and increase woodland cover in England, whilst also helping landowners to diversify their businesses.
This grant is open for applications all year round. Receive up to £6,800 per hectare to create new woodland or up to £8,500 per hectare if you provide permissive access across the woodland (dependent on its location).
The minimum threshold for applications to the Woodland Carbon Fund has been reduced for 2018 applicants, from 30 hectares to 10 hectares, so more landowners can take advantage of the scheme.
This scheme aims to support the planting of multipurpose woodlands of at least 10 hectares in size. It provides opportunities to work in partnership at a landscape scale, to improve public access to woodland and achieve wider environmental outcomes by:
- Contributing to future carbon budgets;
- Maximising natural capital benefits (by providing community access);
Acting as a pathfinder for large scale woodland creation; and - Encouraging partnership approached and landscape-scale projects.
The Woodland Carbon Code (WCC) can also provide a source of additional funding and applicants are encouraged to register their scheme with the WCC if they are successful in attracting a Woodland Carbon Fund grant.
Woodland Creation Planning Grant
This grant is open for applications year round. A Woodland Creation Planning Grant contributes towards the costs of gathering and analysing the information needed to ensure that proposals for productive multi-purpose woodland take account of any impacts on: biodiversity, landscape, water, the historic environment and local stakeholders.
The grant is available for projects of more than 10 hectares and ultimately requires the production of a UK Forestry Standard compliant plan. Funding of up to £150 per hectare is available with a cap of £30,000 per project.
Planning well designed woodland is vital to ensure we are creating new woodland that meets the current and the future needs of the environment and the people who live and work in the area.
Countryside Stewardship - Woodland Creation
The Countryside Stewardship Woodland Creation grant is now closed for applications.
Countryside Stewardship is a Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) grant scheme. Woodlands are a priority under the scheme and funding is available to help create new woodland as part of this.
Grants of up to £6,800 per hectare are available to assist with the planting of new woodland that helps to meet environmental objectives.
This grant is open for appliations year round. The HS2 Woodland Fund provides grant payments for restoring plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) and/or creating new native woodland. Funding is available for a range of capital items, paying 100% of the associated standard cost, with a maintenance payment also available for woodland creation. £1 million of funding is due to open for applications in January 2018 and will close in April 2020, subject to remaining budget availability. There are no application windows.
Further things to take into account for Woodland Creation
When designing new woodlands, it’s important to consider how site and species suitability is likely to change in the future and how best to protect the trees that you plant from pests such as squirrels and deer.
Site Appraisal Plan
New woodlands need careful design to fit within the landscape and accommodate features of interest. There is guidance on the forest design process in the UK Forestry Standard and Practice Guide on Design techniques for forest management planning. Preparing site appraisal and concept design plans support the design process and we have prepared examples of these plans here, example site appraisal plan.
Over the next few weeks we will be refining these plans further and adding further site appraisal and concept design plans which cover upland and lowland situations. If you are considering creating a woodland at least 10 hectares is size and which has a significant productive element (70% of species are productive) you can apply for woodland creation planning grant to support the design process.