Current Woodland Gr antscape The end of September marked the beginning of the end for the English Woodland Grant Scheme. The majority of the grant suite has already been closed to new applications including the Woodland Management Grant, Woodfuel Improvement Grant, Woodland Creation Grant and Woodland Regeneration Grant. The Forestry Commission took applications for the Woodland Regeneration Grant for Phytophthora infected areas, Woodfuel Woodland Improvement Grant and the Woodland Planning Grant until the end of September. All applications including those already within the system will need to be approved by December 31st 2014.
Looking ahead Woodland grants and the existing Environmental Stewardship Scheme are to be delivered together under The New Environmental Land Management Scheme (NELMS). The new scheme is likely to open to applications from 2015 and start in 2016. There will be one round of funding per year. Announcements from the government suggest that the Common Agricultural Policy reform will see woodland schemes becoming more focused than the previous Entry Level Stewardship and Higher Level Stewardship schemes. There are also planned changes to the eligibility criteria for all schemes. There is likely to be less funding available and the funds will be more targeted with applications most likely being competitive. As with some previous grants it may be that not all geographical areas will be eligible for grant payments, with only those areas that are best able to deliver the required benefits being selected. There will likely be continued encouragement for collaborative working by the Forestry Commission. The main driver for grant aid is going to be an approved 10-year Management Plan. The way grants are to be paid has also not been finalised; DEFRA will be administering the grants with help from Natural England and the Rural Payments Agency, while the Forestry Commission England provide technical support though details are not clear. The Forestry Commission has aims to afforest 2,000 hectares per year to reach their 12% target of forest cover by 2060. This means that there is a high probability that there will continue to be support for woodland creation. It is thought that there will also continue to be some form of support for woodland regeneration. It is likely that most of the grants will be paid on the basis of improvements to biodiversity. More changes will be announced during the last quarter of 2014. For more advice on optimising your woodland grant income please contact: Peter Topham Forestry Consultant (South West) t 01823 692644 m 07808 642574 e peter.topham@smithsgore.co.uk
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