A significant uplift in England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) payments was announced by Defra and the Forestry Commission on March 18th in the latest step to increase tree planting across the country.
The increase in EWCO payment rates will take effect immediately and offer farmers and landowners more tailored incentives to encourage woodland creation where it is best suited, whilst also protecting our most productive farmland for food.
The maximum rate per hectare available from Additional Contributions (payable for the public benefits delivered) will increase from £8,000 to £11,600 – a 45% increase. This will increase to £12,700 in stackable payments if the land is also eligible for the new Low Sensitivity Land Payment.
Key new measures include:
- A new payment to encourage EWCO applications on low sensitivity land, avoiding land most suitable for food production. When planting on low sensitivity land you can now receive £1,100 per hectare.
- A new Nature Recovery – Premium option (£3,300 per hectare) has been added to the Nature Recovery Additional Contribution. This is designed to encourage the planting or natural colonisation of highly biodiverse woodlands next to ancient woodland. The spatial targeting layer for the Nature Recovery Additional Contribution is currently being updated and will be available shortly (as EWCO – Nature Recovery – Priority Habitat Network). The existing layer (Biodiversity – Priority habitat network) is still available in the Legacy section.
- Uplifts have been made to other existing additional contributions, with a focus on water quality, flood mitigation and access. For example, payments for flood risk management have doubled from £500 to £1,000 per hectare, and recreational access has increased from £2,200 to £3,700.
- Annual maintenance payments have been raised from £350 to £400 per hectare, per year, for 15 years – recognising that caring for new trees is vital if new woodlands are to flourish.
The full rates are included in Operations Note 67. You can also find the updated Application Form, Grant Manual and Terms & Conditions on the GOV.UK EWCO forms page.
