Scottish Forestry Woodland Creation Incentives

Have you investigated the opportunities for the creation of woodland?  

 

The purpose of the Scottish Government Woodland Planting Grants is to support the creation of new woodland, which will bring economic, environmental, and social benefits.  Its overall aim is meet the UK’s target to increase woodland cover, help mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions through carbon sequestration and restore 'lost' habitats. The grant also aims to support a sustainable forest industry by providing a reliable timber supply and support rural development through local businesses and farm diversification. 

 

Here Sarah Radcliffe, Forestry & Woodland Manager at H&H Land & Estates discusses the scheme options: 

“Depending on the species you want to plant and the size of the woodland there are in total nine different grant types available. With the exception of the Small or Farm Woodlands and Native Broadleaves type where the minimum block size is 0.25 hectares, for all other grant types of the minimum block size is 2 hectares.  The grant is split into three parts: 

 

• Tree planting is being paid per hectare 

• Additional capital items such as fences and gates are paid per item 

• An annual maintenance payment for five years 

 

The planting payments rates vary from £560 per hectare for low-density broadleaves to £2,880 per hectare for productive broadleaves (£2,160 per hectare for diverse conifer). Maintenance payments vary from £96 per hectare for the low-density broadleaves to £528 per hectare for productive broadleaves (£400 per hectare for Small or Farm Woodlands).  

 

 

 

Lastly, we have the Woodland Carbon Code which is a voluntary carbon standard for UK woodland creation projects. The code generates independently verified carbon units and is backed by the government and internationally recognised for its high standards of sustainable forest management. A new native woodland can capture 400 -500 tonnes of CO2 (tCO2e/ha) over 100 years which is why they are so vital globally for reducing the levels of carbon in the atmosphere. The carbon from your woodland can be sold in the form of Woodland Carbon Units and recently buyers have been receiving £5 - £15/tCO2e for carbon units captured and verified by the WCC. There is no minimum size and there is a streamlined process for woods of less than 5 hectares. 

 

The payments available for these schemes is good news for people looking to create woodland areas, and I would advise anyone who has land they think might be suitable for woodland, to investigate these schemes and opportunities.” 

 

If you would like any further information or advice about the any of the schemes, please contact Sarah via e-mail at sarah.radcliffe@hhlandestates.co.uk or call on 01228 406602.