Government money is available for a wide variety of rural and urban tree planting activities. Nicholsons is able to advise on the full spectrum of grant schemes available to every type of land owner, both large and small.

This page is intended to cut through the layers of bureaucracy and give you an up-to-date review, not only of what is available, but also the recent changes to existing schemes. In the interests of simplicity each type of grant is summarised and as a result may not state absolutely all of the terms, conditions and rules, so please Contact us for further information or to arrange a visit.

Local Authority Grants
Some local authorities offer a grant scheme to help fund various projects with a public benefit. Funds are severely limited and therefore there is usually an application cut-off, so that worthwhile schemes can be considered along with less worthwhile schemes with the total budget in mind. These can include: tree and hedge planting, hedgerow restoration, willow pollarding, pond restoration, tree surgery and the restoration of historic features in the landscape. All of these must have a clear public benefit i.e. not in private gardens.

Grants of up to 50% of the total estimated cost (two quotes are needed) are available up to a maximum of £500 for private individuals and £1,000 for public organizations.

Higher Level Scheme (Defra)
Eligible farms are able to enter the whole farm into the Higher Level Scheme (HLS) to achieve certain environmental benefits. Work which is grant aided is diverse and includes: hedge planting/restoration, fencing, tree planting, hedge laying, field headland seeding, meadow seeding and willow pollarding.

This scheme is now extremely complicated and requires a farm to be IACS registered and a management plan to be prepared for a ten-year period. A farm must also be a successful applicant in the Entry Level Scheme (ELS).

The Farm Woodland Advisory Group, FWAG, offer a cost effective service to write the plan and get the scheme approved. Once approved FWAG often recommends that Nicholsons take over the project and complete the work. Figures for each operation vary but hedging, for example, will give you a grant of just over £5.00 per metre.

Woodland Planning Grant
This grant has been improved to now allow minimum payment of £1000 for a 3+ hectare scheme, with rates of £20 per hectare for larger schemes up to 100 hectares, and £10 thereafter. It enables woodlands to have management plans prepared that will lead to thinning felling and other management operations.

Woodland Grant Scheme (WGS)
This was once a straightforward grant scheme but it has grown steadily more complicated as the years have passed. The scheme is administered by the Forestry Commission (a part of Defra). In basic terms, the landowner agrees to a fiveyear contract detailing when work is to be done and when payment will be received. It is split into four sections: Management, Establishment, Restocking and Woodland Improvement.

This scheme has just been reintroduced but funds are limited. The scheme proposed will need to demonstrate a clear public benefit. Applying is easy through the use of various application forms accompanied by maps to illustrate what is planned and where.

Management Grant
£35.00 per hectare per year of eligible land, but a landowner must agree to match at least twice the total figure during the period of the plan. Woodlands must also now be subject to an approved management plan or be certified under the UK Woodland Assurance Scheme (UKWAS) if the woodland holding is smaller than 100 hectares.

Woodland Creation Grant
This has re opened for new applicants on 7th May and applications will not be accepted after September The scheme is judged on a points basis depending on which Forestry commission region the scheme is in. The point score is affected by the species proposed, how extensive the total area of the woodland will be, with break points at one, five and ten hectares. It is also affected by proximity to high populations. The standard grant is £1800 per hectare paid in two installments of 70% and 30% over five years. Conifers attract £1200 per hectare, but it is never certain in this geographical area that the grant scheme for conifers will be approved in the first place.

If the owner of the land is a farmer there is also an entitlement of up to £300 per hectare per year for 15 years for broadleaved trees, reduced to 10 years for conifers. This is called the FWPS Grant. If less than 5% of an owner’s income is generated by farming the annual payment is capped by the EU at 150 euros per hectare per year.

Additional contributions are also available if the new wood is close to a large populations (£500 per ha). . £2000 per hectare can be payable if it allows public access and is in designated areas where a public need is demonstrated.

In areas of Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and parts of Leicestershire, a new supplement is available to help the decline in wild bird populations, this supplement is £2000 per hectare.

Restocking
This is more complicated because grant rates are designed to encourage native broadleaved planting through better funding. Rates are £1100 per hectare for restocking native species, £350 per hectare for conifers and £1700 if converting conifer woodland, planted on what was previously a native woodland site, back to native species.

Woodland Improvement Grants
These are now available and rates are set out on a list of standard operation prices provided by the Forestry Commission.

If you would like further information, please don't hesitate to Contact us. Also, see our other specialised advice pages linked from the Information main menu.