The Welsh Government have made £2 million available for farmers in the first round of applications for a woodland creation grant.
The Small Grants Woodland Creation Scheme which opened on 30th August 2022, will provide funding for farmers and other land managers to plant small areas of trees on land that is less than 2ha and is agriculturally improved or of low environmental value. The scheme will include grants towards tree planting, fencing and gates and 12 years of maintenance support.
The Small Grants Woodland Creation will close for applications on 14th October, but it is said that this and the Woodland Creation Grant (closed 23rd September 2022) will open for applications every three months.
To support the Woodland Creation Grant scheme, the government has introduced a Woodland Creation Planning Scheme to allow for community consultation before funding is allocated. This will offer grants of between £1,000 and £5,000 to develop plans for new woodland creation and is currently open for applications until 31st December 2022.
Plans must be verified by Natural Resources Wales to make sure they meet the UK Forestry Standard and the scheme rules.
For further reading, see: https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/payments-schemes/grants/welsh-govt-announces-32m-for-farmers-to-plant-trees
Rural Payments Wales Application Dates: https://gov.wales/rural-schemes-application-dates
