Forestry Commission
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Trees have far-reaching benefits for you, your land, the environment and for future generations. By planting trees to the UK Forest Standard (UKFS) coupled with financial support and expert advice, woodlands can help you generate reliable income streams and deliver environmental benefits that support your wider land management goals.
Read our joint statement with Natural England on our position on woodland creation.
Funding and help to plan a woodland creation project
If youre planning to create woodland in England you may be eligible for a Forestry Commission grant, such as the Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG).
We can give you advice and guidance on the legal regulations youll need to follow and how to establish your woodland sustainably.
Grants may also be available for planting trees outside of woodland.
Planning a woodland creation project
We can help you develop the documents youll need to plan a woodland creation project.
Landscape and woodland design
For new woodlands in England, you need to carefully design the site to fit within the landscape and accommodate features of interest. Use the guide landscape and woodland design for woodland creation to plan the design of your new woodland.
To get regulatory approval and grant funding for your project, your woodland creation design plan must comply with the UKFS.
You need to develop a written plan supported by a:
- landscape context plan
- site appraisal plan
- design concept plan
- final woodland creation design plan
See what these plans need to show, and examples, in our guide to planning new woodland in England.
Read about the forest design process:
Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG)
The WCPG can help cover the costs of producing a UKFS compliant woodland creation design plan.
You can apply for up to 150 per hectare, plus a 70% contribution to any specialist surveys that are needed, capped at 30,000 per project.
WCPG is for planning only and does not provide approval to plant. Proposals with a woodland creation design plan that are approved for payment through WCPG are still subject to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations.
Find out if youre eligible for the WCPG and how to apply.
Funding and grants for woodland creation
You may be eligible for funding and grants to create woodland or plant trees.
We offer funding schemes for woodland creation and tree planting, planning, maintenance, and tree health in England.
England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO)
Landowners, land managers and public bodies can receive over 10,000 per hectare to create new woodland on areas as small as one hectare.
Find out more about EWCO and how to apply.
Funding and grants for non-woodland trees
Local Authority Treescapes Fund
Available to local authorities to support planting and growing trees in non-woodland areas, such as urban or rural settings.
Find out more about the Local Authority Treescapes Fund.
Urban Tree Challenge Fund
The fund provides 50% of published standard costs for planting and establishment of trees in urban or peri-urban areas, especially in areas of low canopy cover and high social deprivation.
Find out more about the Urban Tree Challenge Fund.
Get income from selling carbon
If your project is not cost-effective with a woodland creation grant alone, you might be able to earn further income by selling carbon credits from your project.
Find out more about the Woodland Carbon Code scheme for buyers and landowners.
Read more about the benefits of woodland creation woods and carbon and how woodland creation can help tackle climate change.
Woodland Carbon Guarantee
The Woodland Carbon Guarantee provides the option to sell your captured carbon in the form of verified carbon credits (Woodland Carbon Units) to the government for a guaranteed price.
You must first be registered with the Woodland Carbon Code to be eligible, and planting must not have happened yet.
We run several auctions per year for Woodland Carbon Guarantee funding. Only those who have already applied are able to take part in future auctions.
Other funding opportunities
Funding from our partners
We work with a number of partners who offer woodland creation opportunities to help provide an option to suit everyone.
Tree planting and woodland creation: funding and advice shows all available grants and incentives, including those from other organisations. These include the Woodland Creation Partnership, Forestry England and Englands Community Forests.
Protect, Improve, Expand, Sustain (PIES) offer
You may be eligible to receive 3 days of fully-funded advice from an expert. They can provide vital information to support you in taking the next steps in managing existing woodland and/or creating new wooded areas on your property. The offer is provided by a consortium of partners under the Defra-funded PIES project.
Find out more about the PIES offer and how to apply.
Tax planning
The Conditional Exemption Tax Incentive Scheme was set up to preserve and protect national heritage. This includes woodland.
Find out if you can get relief from Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax.
When to apply for an Environmental Impact Assessment
The EIA process has 2 stages. Most projects only need to complete the first stage.
If you want to create new woodland without grant support from us, you may need to apply for a stage 1 forestry Environmental Impact Assessment. This is dependent on the size and location of the proposed project.
If your proposal has been approved for a Woodland Creation Planning Grant, you can submit the plan with your stage 1 EIA application. You dont need to complete all sections of the application form.
If youre applying to us for funding, for example, through the England Woodland Creation Offer, there is no need to apply for an