The biggest benefit by far from planting more trees is to improve the wellbeing of our environment and support green recovery, so much so that the Government set out last year The England Trees Action Plan 2021 – 2024; a long-term plan that’s focused on increase tree planting rates across the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by the end of this Parliament.
To achieve such ambitions, they intend to spend £500m of the £640m Nature for Climate Fund, including improved funding for different types of treescapes (trees, woodlands and forests), landowners and managers.
And, it’s all about planting the right trees in the right places for the right reasons; so, depending on what land you have available and what planting project you’re considering, there’s a choice of funding routes you may be eligible;
- The primary fund available to landowners, farmers and public bodies is the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO). This tree planting grant scheme backs the creation of new woodland, including natural colonisation, and applies to areas as small as one hectare. Capped at £8,500 per hectare for standard costs, it also includes annual maintenance payments of £200 per hectare per year, for 10 years.
- If looking for funding to support with the removal of diseased trees and / or restocking woodland after felling due to a tree health issue; such as Ash dieback (a highly infectious fungal disease which is threatening to wipe out over 90% of our native ash trees and most other non-native members of the ash family), then The Woodland Tree Health Grant, part of Countryside Stewardship, may be an applicable to your needs or circumstances.
- For farmers, foresters and other land managers with areas less than one hectare or a small planting project, such as a mixed native hedge border or copse, then there are a number of funding options available. One is The Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) – a farm-wide payment scheme across England, which is targeted at enhancing our natural world, protecting the countryside and looks to support the planting of trees, hedge laying and creating or restoring habitats for wildlife, as both an environmental benefit and shelter for crops and livestock.
- For smaller grants schemes, specific to regreening the West Country and Devon area, there are currently over 20 different sources of funding for tree planting available via a number of recognised organisations including the Wildlife Trust, Woodland Trust, The Tree Council and regional County Councils. These funding options are open to a wide audience scope and encourage all kinds of treescape planting; from a single tree or a small copse to a diverse wildlife hedgerow or mixed native hedge border.
LONG-TERM INCOME SUPPORT FOR CREATING NEW WOODLANDS…
If you’re looking to apply for EWCO, you should also consider if you’d qualify for the Woodland Carbon Guarantee. Designed to further incentivise woodland creation in England, as well as the removal of CO2 from our atmosphere, this multimillion pound scheme allows individuals and land managers of all kinds to benefit from a guaranteed income upon delivery of verified Woodland Carbon Units every 5 or 10 years up to 2055/56; The Forestry Commission currently quote “a new native woodland can capture 300-400 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per hectare by year 50 and by year 100, it can capture 400-600 CO2 equivalent per hectare; with companies having paid between £10 and £20 per tonne of CO2.“
Good introductory from the Forestry Commission on the Woodland Carbon Code can be downloaded here
So, whether you’re a farmer, landowner, forester, land manager, community group, business or private individual, as custodians of Great Britain’s countryside it’s to us its safeguard falls and with it the responsibility to plant as many trees as we can to meet the set quota and do everything in our powers to reverse environmental declines, tackling climate change and reshape our country’s treescape for the benefit of the whole world!
At Exmoor Trees, we pride ourselves in providing customers with expert support and guidance specific to their project requirements, so whether you’re looking to plant one tree or several thousands, we’re happy to discuss your needs and help you every step of the way.
Please contact us for further help and guidance.
QUICK CONCLUSIONS:
In support of their increased tree planting quota, the Government are offering short-term and longterm financial incentives to plant more trees.
Large and small grant schemes available to support a range of different treescape planting projects.
Funding support available to a wide and varied audience scope; farmers, land mangers, foresters, landowners, public bodies, community groups, businesses, agents and private individuals.
You could receive £10,000+ for every hectare of new woodland you plant in England.
As well as covering the cost to purchase trees, installing fences or other protection, funding may support other project costs; consultancy fees, design planning, specialist surveys and long-term management.
Many of the grants and funding schemes include annual maintenance payments for a set term after the trees are planted.
Longer term income options are available through payment schemes such as the Woodland Carbon Code and Biodiversity Net Gain.
Plant more trees now to benefit the environment and earn additional income!