You can apply for £1,500 to complete Stage 1 of the WCPG application. This is for a desk-based exercise to identify the constraints and opportunities affecting the proposed planting. If there’s potential for woodland creation to take place on the site, then you will be offered a stage 2 payment. At stage 2, you can get £150 per hectare, minus the £1,500 offered at stage 1, to complete stage 2 of the Woodland Creation Design Plan Template. You may get supplementary payments for specialist survey work if a need for them is identified at stage 1. If your application is under ten hectares in size, we will make a minimum payment of £500 for stage 2. The total amount of funding is capped at £30,500 per project. The funding will support you to gather and analyse the information that you need to make sure your proposal takes into account:
Landowners, land managers and public bodies (other than Forestry England) can apply to support the design of new woodland under the Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG), provided the work is not already required under existing obligations. Crown bodies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) are not eligible for funding through WCPG.You must plan to create woodland that is:
If you intend to seek grant aid to plant the woodland, you should consider the minimum areas required to apply for grants for woodland creation when planning your proposal. Landscape-scale applications that span multiple land holdings may be accepted. You do not need to own or control the land, but you will need a letter confirming that the landowner(s) support the application.
You can apply year-round. We aim to respond to your application within 15 working days. It may take longer if the application includes untrialled tree species or is in a sensitive location.You must have a signed agreement in place before you start work. Read the WCPG terms and conditions. You’ll need the landowner’s consent and signature if you don’t own the land, and the Forestry Commission may ask to see your tenancy agreement to confirm your land management responsibilities.
