England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO)

England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) is sponsored by Forestry Commission (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs). EWCO is a flagship grant scheme for farmers and land managers to encourage investment in woodland creation.

How the England Woodland Creation Offer works - GOV.UK How the England Woodland Creation Offer works Find out how the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) can help you get money to create new woodland. Get emails about this page Guidance for Northern Ireland You can apply to get money to help create new woodland through the England Woodland Creation Offer ( EWCO ). You can get up to £10,200 per hectare.

You could also get up to £12,700 in additional payments if your woodland contributes to the local community, nature recovery or the environment. If you receive EWCO funding to create woodland, your planting and management must follow the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) , which provides a technical standard for forestry across the UK. 1.

What you can apply for There are 2 types of payments available for capital works, which help you establish and maintain the woodland: support for standard cost items and activities to create new woodland a payment towards the cost of installing infrastructure to support woodland management or provide recreational access There is also an annual maintenance payment of £400 per hectare for 15 years to help establish young trees and ongoing maintenance.

You can apply for extra payments for: additional contributions , if the woodland’s location and design will deliver public benefits low sensitivity land payment of £1,100 per hectare, if your proposal falls entirely within a low sensitivity area for woodland creation Find out more about payments in the How EWCO payments work section . You can apply at any time of the year.

Applications can take between 3 and 5 months to process from the time of receiving a complete application. To secure an agreement offer in time for the next planting season, you need to submit your EWCO application by 31 May. Applications must be complete and meet eligibility requirements.

We cannot guarantee an agreement offer in time for the next planting season if information is still missing on 31 May. The timeline for your application depends on various factors, such as how quickly stakeholders engage with your woodland creation proposal. If you apply after October, it is unlikely you’ll receive an agreement in time to plant during the upcoming planting season.

All landowners, land managers and public bodies can apply, including: tenants or landlords – both will need to agree to the proposal licensors or licensees who carry out activities on land You can apply on your own or as a group with a joint application. You must nominate a lead applicant. You can authorise an agent to complete the application on your behalf.

If not done so already, you need to complete the Forestry Commission agent authority form to give them the appropriate permission levels to deal with the Forestry Commission. 3. 2.

Checks and due diligence As part of the application process, we carry out business and due diligence checks on all applicants. We use the government’s spotlight system to carry out checks. Spotlight helps: reduce the risk of mismanagement of public funds These checks are a standard part of our application process and help ensure that grants are awarded safely and responsibly.

The land you own or manage must be: under your management control for the full duration of the agreement – if it’s not you’ll need to get written permission from any counter signatories, such as the landowner at least 1 hectare, which can be made up of several compartments, each no smaller than 0.

1 hectare minimum width of 20 metres wide - except for riparian buffers and shelterbelts, which can have a minimum width of 10 metres EWCO supports the creation of UKFS-compliant woodland where the proposed long-term silvicultural system is coppice management. There is no maximum distance between compartments in the same application. However, as a general rule, all compartments should be located within the same water catchment area.

For more details, read the forests and waters section in the UKFS .

Land may also be eligible if it is: owned or managed by a public body common land and shared grazing be already classified as woodland be developed land and hard standing including permanent caravan sites and areas used for permanent storage be part of a dispute between landowners or managers be in an existing grant agreement with more than 6 months left to run at the time of applying – unless certain conditions are met not subject to any existing legal requirement or obligation to create woodland 4.

1. Low sensitivity land and the Woodland Creation Fast Track ( WCFT ) If your proposal is entirely within a low sensitivity area, your application may be processed under the WCFT . We’ll assess this on a case-by-case basis.

This route provides a quicker processing time for EWCO . The Forestry Commission will aim to make regulatory decisions and a grant offer within 12 weeks. 4.

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Fast track criteria We can fast-track your EWCO application if your proposal is: located entirely within a low sensitivity area for woodland creation submitted as a complete application with all necessary supporting information in line with all existing eligibility requirements for EWCO on land with no previous EWCO applications or agreements on land with no existing incompatible grant agreements in place that have more than 6 months remaining and will require amendment The WCFT does not remove the need to gather supporting evidence or to develop a UKFS-compliant proposal.

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Check your land is within a low sensitivity area Check the Forestry Commission map browser and land information search to see if your land is entirely within a low sensitivity area using the ‘England woodland creation low sensitivity map version 4. 0’ layer.

In some cases, we may allow up to 10% of your proposed woodland to fall outside the low sensitivity area, if: this is required for good woodland design the only sensitivity on the 10% is the land’s agricultural grade – you can check on the ‘England woodland creation low sensitivity map version 4.

0 variant 3’ to see if this applies Read the guidance on woodland creation sensitivity maps to find out more about the different map variants and what they show. 4. 1.

3. Fast-track timeline and process If you’re eligible and wish to take the WCFT route: answer the relevant question in tab 1 on your application form add ‘ WCFT application’ in the subject line of your email submission We aim to make a decision on your woodland creation proposal within 12 weeks. The 12-week period starts after your application has been checked to make sure all relevant information has been submitted.

If technical checks indicate that the proposal does not meet the UKFS requirements and guidelines, we will pause the 12 week period and work with you to ensure compliance before resuming the fast track process. In some cases, your application may exceed the 12-week timeframe or be removed from WCFT .

For example, if a constraint to woodland creation is later identified that was not recognised in the initial application or accounted for in the low sensitivity area. In such cases, we will contact you and provide advice accordingly. 4.

2. Restrictions on agricultural activity You are not allowed to use any land that is part of a EWCO agreement for farming activities, no matter when the trees are established. This is because the land is designated for non-agricultural use under the agreement.

To make this change permanent, you must contact the Rural Payments Agency ( RPA ) using the RLE1 form or the Rural Payment service to register the land as permanently non-agricultural, starting from 1 January of the year after your EWCO agreement begins. If you meet all the eligibility rules, you can still receive delinked payments for land included in the EWCO agreement.

However, once you’ve planted trees, you must follow the steps outlined on the Delinked payments: replacing the Basic Payment Scheme guidance to make sure you continue to claim these payments correctly.

If you’re a tenant applying for an agreement in your name, you must: have management control of the land and all required activities for the full duration of the agreement have security of tenure for the entire agreement period get agreement from your landlord to enter into the agreement, your landlord must countersign the EWCO declaration form If a tenant leaves or the tenancy comes to an end, the landlord is automatically obligated to fulfil the agreement.

If the landlord takes over the EWCO agreement, they must be eligible to do so. Tenants should seek legal advice if their tenancy ends unexpectedly before the EWCO agreement ends. It is your responsibility to check that you do not breach the terms of your tenancy by joining EWCO .

If you’re a landlord, you may apply for EWCO funding on land let to a tenant only if you retain management control for woodland creation purposes. provide your tenant with a copy of the EWCO agreement – you may be asked to provide evidence of this make sure your tenant does not breach the agreement’s terms and conditions You cannot apply for land that is or has been involved in a dispute within the past 12 months.

This must be declared in your application. If there is to be a management control change within 12 months of receiving the EWCO application, the new person can apply in advance of the change if the leaving person signs the EWCO land management control declaration form. The Forestry Commission is currently running a pilot to support tenant and landlord successions.

This pilot allows landlords and tenants to provide their Single Business Identifiers even if they are not the named lead applicant. The landlord or tenant will then automatically succeed the agreement if management control changes at any time during the duration of the grant agreement.

guidance on changing your EWCO agreement Tenancy Reform Industry Group publication: Tree planting and woodland creation on agricultural tenancies If you’re a licensor applying for EWCO , it is your responsibility to make sure that the licensee: does not breach the terms and conditions of the EWCO agreement is aware of the relevant agreement requirements has requirements included in their licence agreement If you’re a licensee, you may be eligible for EWCO , in certain circumstances, if you can demonstrate full management control of the land for the duration of the agreement.

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Land owned by public bodies Land owned or managed by a public body is eligible for EWCO if woodland creation is not already required or paid for through: EU or UK Government funds grants from other public body any other form of legally binding obligation, including tenancies To apply, public bodies must meet these conditions: follow the guidance on managing public money , including disposing of surplus land and buildings in a way that delivers value for the taxpayer, boosts growth and delivers new homes consider wider public benefits – estates professionals and policy teams should assess how land retained for woodland creation meets departmental and keep a record of this decision-making process provide public access to at least 50% of the site, unless this would compromise public safety – access must be granted though either permissive access (minimum 30 years) or a dedicated public right of access Central government departments or arm’s length bodies must get approval from the HM Treasury Spending Team and provide evidence of this with the application.

Find out more on the classification of public bodies guidance . Land owned by public bodies that are planted under EWCO will not be eligible for delinked payments that replaced the Basic Payment Scheme unless it is managed by a private body or a local authority.

We encourage public bodies to partner with third-party organisations to: increase community involvement deliver broader environmental and social benefits While partnerships are not compulsory, we will monitor this. You must confirm in your application if a third party is involved. If not, explain what steps you took to explore partnership opportunities.

4. 6. Common land and shared grazing Common land and shared grazing are eligible to apply for EWCO .

Commoners and graziers need to agree on a named person to submit the application and manage the EWCO agreement. If your application includes additional contributions for recreational access, you must provide evidence that there is no existing public right of access over the land. The named person will need to complete the additional EWCO common land and shared grazing supplementary form .

You may need consent from the Planning Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs where the work impedes access or alters the land surface. Read the guidance on common land and shared grazing for full details on the specific requirements. 4.

7. Eligible land receiving other public funding You cannot use EWCO funding to pay for capital works that are already required under another agreement, for example a tenancy agreement or another grant scheme. If your land is already part of an agri-environment agreement, some options may be compatible with EWCO .

It’s your responsibility to check eligibility for both you and your land. You must confirm that any work proposed in your EWCO application does not breach the terms of any existing agreements on your land. We will carry out checks to make sure that capital works are not funded more than once with public money.

If such a conflict is discovered after an agreement has been made, we may: reclaim any EWCO grant payments already made terminate your EWCO agreement 4. 7. 1.

Land in existing Environmental or Countryside Stewardship agreements Generally, EWCO is not compatible with Environmental Stewardship ( ES ) or Countryside Stewardship ( CS ) and may need to be transferred into EWCO . There are a few ES or CS options that are exceptions to this rule, which we can check once we receive your application. You can apply to EWCO if your land is currently under an ES or CS agreement.

But the process depends on how long the current agreement has left to run. If the ES or CS agreement has less than 6 months remaining, you may apply to EWCO . EWCO will not issue an agreement until the existing ES or CS agreement expires.

If the ES or CS agreement has more than 6 months remaining, you may still apply, but you must remove the land from the existing agreement. This may be done without repayment of ES or CS funds if both of the following conditions are met. a.

the transfer of land into EWCO will result in a net improvement in environmental management on that land, compared to management under the existing ES agreement b. the remaining ES agreement remains viable after transfer of the land and removal from the ES agreement a. transfer of land into EWCO will result in a net improvement in the environmental management of that land compared to management under the existing CS agreement b.

woodland establishment does not detract from the overall objectives of the existing CS agreement When we receive a EWCO application for land in an ES or CS agreement, we will arrange for RPA , with advice from Natural England where necessary, to assess whether these conditions are met.

We will inform you of the result of the assessment and if met, your EWCO application and amendment to the ES or CS agreement can be processed in parallel. If these conditions are not met, your application will need further consideration from the RPA , Natural England and the Forestry Commission. Removing land from ES or CS where the conditions are not met may not be possible or may incur repayment.

For CS , the exception to this may be moving rotational options under a mid-tier agreement to different land parcels. Land under specific Higher Level Stewardship options is unlikely to meet conditions a and b. If only part of a land parcel is being moved into EWCO .

You must request a parcel split using the RLE1 form or the Rural Payments service . To find out more, read the guidance on how to make changes to your rural land maps . For ES agreements, you must request and submit a Land Transfer and Amendment ( LTA1 ) form to the RPA .

For CS agreements, you must contact the RPA to request an amendment by emailing ruralpayments@defra. gov.uk . Submit copies of your amendment request forms and mapping evidence to the Forestry commission by emailing EWCO @forestrycommission.

gov.uk . The amendment to your ES or CS agreement will only be finalised after your EWCO application is processed. If successful, you’ll receive an ‘agreement in principle’ and must instruct the RPA to complete the amendment for the EWCO agreement to go live.

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Land in existing Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements Only hedgerow grant options (HRW1, HRW2 and HRW3) under the Sustainable Farming Incentive ( SFI ) are compatible with EWCO . Other SFI options are not currently compatible. You can apply to EWCO for land that is already in an SFI agreement if the agreement has less than 6 months left to run.

We will process your application, but your EWCO agreement will not begin until the SFI agreement expires.

If your SFI agreement has more than 6 months remaining or you want your EWCO agreement to start before the SFI agreement ends, you must either: request removal of land from your SFI agreement by contacting the RPA - you must provide evidence of this request with your EWCO application (you may be required to repay part or all the SFI grant for the affected land parcels) amend your EWCO application to include only land parcels that are not currently under an SFI agreement You must do this before you start the process of applying for EWCO .

5. Support for natural colonisation EWCO supports planting and natural processes as methods for establishing woodland. Natural colonisation, also referred to as natural regeneration, is a woodland creation technique that relies on natural processes to create woodland.

You can use these methods individually or in combination across your application. Natural colonisation occurs when trees establish and grow without human intervention, which typically reduces costs and increases biodiversity value. It relies on seed dispersion by wind, water or wildlife.

The method you choose depends on site characteristics, existing features, the degree of control required, tree species and your objectives. Read the guidance on eligibility, monitoring, and evidence requirements for natural colonisation under EWCO for full details and complete the natural colonisation initial assessment form . 6.

What you cannot apply for EWCO cannot be used to cover the cost of: historic and local environment record centre checks capital works started before your agreement starts capital works that exceed the cap on capital items and activities planning application fees or other transactional fees agent or advisory fees, unless included in infrastructure quotes costs relating to meeting legal requirements, including planning conditions creation of short rotation coppice, short rotation forestry or agroforestry establishing Christmas tree plantations or planting cricket bat willow planting trees on land which we consider to be an existing woodland planting spruce trees within the Ips typographus demarcated area , exceptions may apply 7.

How EWCO payments work 7. 1. Standard cost items and activities You can choose from a list of standard cost items and activities that are required to establish the new woodland and record this in your application form.

This list outlines the payment rates and specifications for each item or activity available at the time of application. These rates are fixed and calculated based on national averages. If any new standard cost items are introduced after you have accepted your grant offer, they cannot be added to your EWCO agreement.

Once you have an agreement, you must complete all the work related to these items and activities within 3 years. You can claim for this work once it is completed satisfactorily. You can only claim work that is included in your agreement.

You can choose to partially complete work and then claim this if you want to. You can submit multiple claims (minimum £5,000) over the 3-year period. You can only start work once you have an agreement in place.

Whilst applicants are encouraged to plan for grant activities, any final ordering and payment of materials prior to the agreement commencement date is done so at the sole risk of the applicant and the Forestry Commission will not accept liability for these items. 7. 1.

2. Standard cost payments cap Support for the standard costs under your EWCO agreement is subject to a cap that limits the amount that can be paid. This excludes payments towards the actual costs of infrastructure for management or recreation.

The payment cap is calculated as an average of £10,200 per hectare over the gross area of the application, including any open space. The EWCO application form will calculate this automatically. You can choose to voluntarily reduce this cap to a minimum of £2,500 per hectare.

This flexibility may help some landowners prove additionality when accessing the ecosystem service markets, such as the Woodland Carbon Code. Consult your financial adviser to decide what is appropriate for you. You will still be responsible for delivering all items in your agreement, even if you choose to voluntarily reduce the cap.

If your application includes capital works that exceed the cap, your EWCO agreement will still require all listed capital items and activities to be completed, even though your payment for standard costs will be limited to the cap. We will work with you to develop the application, but we will make the final decision on the capital items and activities to ensure woodland will establish. 7.

2. Annual maintenance payments Annual maintenance payments are made each autumn to support works needed to maintain the new woodland. You’ll receive £400 per hectare each year for 15 years to maintain your woodland and any capital items.

These payments are optional, but the obligation to maintain your woodland remains for 15 years following the date of the final capital payment (obligation period). You must confirm in your EWCO application form if you wish to include annual maintenance payments. The first 5 years of annual maintenance payments will be paid automatically once you have claimed all standard cost items and activities.

You then claim again in years 6 and 11 for the following 2 5-year periods of annual payments. Your final claim for capital work must be submitted correctly by 31 August for maintenance payments to start that same autumn. 7.

3. Actual costs of infrastructure EWCO may help cover the actual costs of infrastructure used for woodland management and recreation. Each payment is capped at 10% of the total capital cost of your proposal.

This includes both actual costs and standard cost items. The EWCO application form will automatically calculate how much funding you will receive. Grant recipients will need to pay the VAT for these items.

Where the grant recipient is VAT registered, the Forestry Commission will exclude the VAT element from the grant offer. Applicants are solely responsible for all aspects of taxation and are advised to seek direction from their accountant or a tax specialist before submitting their EWCO application. You will need to provide quotes for the work.

If the cost is less than £5,000, only one quote is needed. If the cost is over £5,000, you must provide 3 quotes and we’ll choose the most appropriate one. We may get our own quote to check value for money.

We may also require that this quote be used as the basis for any actual cost items in the EWCO agreement. We may also require that this quote be used as the basis for any actual cost items in the EWCO agreement.

To apply for actual cost payments, you will need to: submit a map that shows the proposed location of infrastructure declare you have the financing required to do the work in the EWCO declaration form provide specifications for the work explain why the infrastructure is needed within your EWCO application form You can claim payments in the same way as the standard cost items.

For infrastructure costs, you must provide evidence of completion, including photos of the finished work and Invoices showing the costs. You can only claim the amount agreed in your EWCO agreement. 7.

3. 1. Recreational infrastructure EWCO will pay 100% of actual costs for recreational infrastructure to provide free, high quality public access where new permissive access will be provided or the work will improve existing recreational access provision.

All works must meet the outdoor accessibility guidance . all ability gates (in line with BS5709 2018) interpretation boards – physical or digital all ability footbridge (surface and width) small car park (minimum 3 cars) For any other items that you want to include, talk to your woodland officer who will be able to assess suitability. All ability access means suitable for all-terrain buggies and off-road mobility scooters.

The following do not meet all ability requirements: benches without back rests 7. 3. 2.

Woodland infrastructure EWCO will pay 40% towards infrastructure that supports the establishment and future management of the woodland, such as forest roads and access tracks. You must check with your local planning authority (and highways authority if needed) to confirm whether permitted development rights apply. You’ll need to provide evidence of this with your application.

If planning permission is required, you must get it before starting work. We may request proof during inspections. If you’re building infrastructure to manage woodland, the work must follow national legislation and meet construction, design, and management regulations for forest roads and tracks.

You can find more details in the Forestry Commission roads and tracks: operations note 25 . If your woodland infrastructure also supports recreational access, the same outdoor accessibility guidance and list of eligible items in the recreational infrastructure section apply. Approval from your woodland officer is required for any additional items.

7. 4. Additional contribution payments Additional contributions are optional and will be available where the woodland’s location and design delivers public benefits.

These are one-off payments that are released when we are satisfied that the capital work is completed satisfactorily. You can choose to apply for more than one additional contribution to the same land. Each additional contribution has a fixed payment rate per hectare, and you can apply for these per compartment.

You may be able to apply for more than one additional contribution in the same compartment if the location and design of the woodland provides multiple public benefits.

You can get additional contributions for: nature recovery – up to £3,300 per hectare for woodlands that restore nature and species flood risk management – £1000 per hectare for woodlands that help reduce risk of flooding water quality – £500 per hectare for woodlands that will improve water quality riparian buffers – £2,500 per hectare for woodlands along riverbanks that improve water habitat woodlands close to settlements – up to £600 per hectare for creating woodlands close to where people live recreational access – up to £3,700 per hectare for providing access to woodlands for the public Use the Forestry Commission map browser and land information search to check if the location of proposed woodland can deliver the benefits for additional contributions.

Find out more on the design requirement for additional contributions . 7. 5.

Low sensitivity land payment If your proposal is entirely within low sensitivity areas, where there are likely to be fewer sensitivities or constraints to woodland creation, you may be eligible for the low sensitivity land payment. This is an optional payment of £1,100 per hectare.

This is paid automatically once you have completed and claimed for all other work and it can be stacked with the additional contributions for public benefits. Check the map browser and land information search to see if your land is in a low sensitivity area using the ‘England woodland creation low sensitivity map version 4. 0’ layer.

Read the guidance on woodland creation sensitivity maps to find out more about the different map variants and what they show. If you’re eligible for the low sensitivity payment, your land may be processed under the WCFT which is assessed on a case-by-case basis. This route provides a quicker processing time for EWCO .

If you apply to EWCO for land within 25 miles of the HS2 phase one route, your application will be managed by the Forestry Commission. If your design meets the criteria for the nature recovery additional contributions, your project may receive funding from HS2 Ltd. HS2 Ltd will pay for all the costs of all capital items for tree planting and maintenance works.

EWCO will cover any other additional contributions and the low sensitivity land payment, if eligible. Your EWCO agreement offer will tell you if your project is funded by HS2 Ltd. If you prefer not to receive HS2 Ltd funding, you can opt out and receive your funding from the Forestry Commission instead. 8.

Extra income from selling carbon EWCO does not offer additional contributions for carbon. The EWCO application form supports registration with the Woodland Carbon Code ( WCC ) , which allows you to access the Woodland Carbon Guarantee ( WCaG ) . The WCaG offers opportunities for guaranteed government payments for Woodland Carbon Units captured by your project at an agreed price.

WCC registration is optional but encouraged. If you complete the relevant section in the EWCO application, it generates a summary that you can use to easily transfer information to the WCC calculator. You must register with the WCC before planting under EWCO .

You may review or withdraw additional contributions to pursue WCC if needed, as long as the final capital claim has not been made. 9. Pursuing private finance Additional contributions are payments that recognise the public benefits the new woodlands will provide.

They are optional and can be combined with other EWCO payments, but you are encouraged to pursue private finance instead where possible. You can opt out of an additional contribution at any time before