There are a wide variety of funding streams available to landowners wanting to create new woodland, gap-up hedgerows or plant shelter belts. Some funding is for carbon purposes, some for biodiversity and some for water management. Each fund will have different reporting and species requirements, and different levels of funding attached. Some provide whips, some will give you tree guards and weed mats, plus sheep netting. Local funders such as Gloucestershire County Council may provide funding for ongoing management and maintenance costs in the first few years. The attached sheet developed by Elinor Sherlock, FWAG SW, details a wide variety of grants available to farmers and landowners. Further, Friends of the Earth provide a list of the same, but with additional information about each one. https://policy.friendsoftheearth.uk/insight/public-funding-uk-trees-woodlands-and-forests
Woodland Trust have a variety of schemes for different purposes. Where 500+ trees are planted as woodland on at least half a hectare (up to 4 hectares), the Woodland Trust will help you design your woodland, create a bespoke species mix, supply the agreed trees and tree protection, and cover up to 75% of costs (or 60% of costs over one hectare if you want a contractor to plant the trees). https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/large-scale-planting/morewoods-faqs/. The Woodland Trust’s MoreHEDGES scheme covers up to 75% of the cost if you plant more than 100 metres of new hedging. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/large-scale-planting/morehedges-faqs/
If you are from an organisation that liaises and engages with landowners, and need further advice in this area, please do not hesitate to contact the LNP. If you are a landowner who wants to plant trees, please speak with one of the many landowner advice organisations in the county, such as Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, FWAG SW, Stroud Valleys Project, NFU, CLA or National Trust.
Gloucestershire Local Nature Partnership would like to track trees that are planted in the 20-21 season. Please let us know of planting you have been involved in so we can keep track - matt@gloucestershirenature.org.uk . A form will be created for this purpose in due course. So far this season we know FWAG SW have secured funding from the EA's Woodlands for Water, part of central government's £640million Nature for Climate fund, to plant 50,000+ trees in shelter belts, hedgerows and woodland extension projects. Also, NFU have partnered with the Woodland Trust in a repeat of last year's free trees for farmers project, which saw 6,000 trees planted to tackle Ash Dieback and climate change.
Finally, Glos LNP have a link with another funder who can provide free trees, stakes, guards and weed mats for projects wishing to deliver biodiversity enhancement. For more details, speak to Matt.
