Free assistance with woodland creation

Find out about free assistance available for land managers considering the opportunities for woodland creation in this article from Scottish Forestry.

Significant opportunities exist for Land Managers to maximise their business productivity and sustainability by adding value to underproductive/marginal land through tree planting.

As part of ongoing work to promote better integration between farming and forestry in the Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) area, Scottish Forestry (formerly Forestry Commission Scotland) is offering a limited number of free Farm Woodland Assessments to help farms and estates identify opportunities for new woodland planting to support their farm businesses.

This offer builds on an earlier round of Farm Woodland Assessments which included 12 farms and identified 229 ha of potential woodland creation, 125ha of which are now being actively considered for woodland creation.

On participating farms/small estates, this assessment will consider options for planting new woodlands for the benefit of the whole business and its long-term objectives. The work will examine land parcels which may be suitable for planting and produce suggested planting options with an indicative cash-flow. Work related to this project will take place between November 2019 and February 2020 with reports finalised and provided to landowners in March 2020.

Farm woodland assessments provide a valuable opportunity for Land Managers to identify how new woodland planting could help diversify their agricultural business and spread business risks related to current uncertainties surrounding future agricultural support.

The Forestry Grant Scheme, which is part of the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP), offers farmer’s attractive funding opportunities to plant new or manage existing woodlands.
Landowners in Scotland can receive grants of up to £6,210 per hectare towards the costs of new woodland planting, with monies for fencing and tree protection available in addition to this.

Landowners located within the CSGN area may also be eligible for a special uplift contribution of up to £2,500 per hectare, dependent upon location. Under current rules, land planted under the FGS remains eligible for the Basic Payment Scheme.

The assessments are free and with no obligation attached.

To express your interest in a free farm woodland assessment, by 5pm Friday 18 October 2019, or for further information contact Lyn White at Lyn.White@forestry.gov.scot
or on 0777 6151733.