The Tree Health Pilot Scheme has been launched to support action against pests and diseases affecting trees in the North West, West Midlands, London and the South East of England.
The three-year pilot will first focus on ash, sweet chestnut, larch and spruce. The aim is to establish 100 agreements with interested landowners and managers to help deal with trees affected by a pest or disease outbreak.
The Forestry Commission will support the felling and restocking of trees, as well as providing maintenance payments for restock sites. Learning from the pilot will inform the future Tree Health scheme, being rolled out in 2024.
Applications must have a minimum value of £500. Grant levels vary, depending on tree types and funded activities. If successful, applicants will be awarded a grant to help pay back some of the costs of carrying out work to remove and replace the diseased trees.
Applications are open to landowners and managers, including farmers, whose trees are affected by certain pests and pathogens. Applicants could be owners, occupiers, tenants, landlords or licensors. Those who manage trees on behalf of other people, eg land agents may also apply.
The pilot is for those who manage specific trees or woodlands affected by specific pests and diseases in the following regions of England:
- North West, primarily targeting Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the Lake District National Park.
- South East and London, primarily targeting Kent and East Sussex.
- West Midlands, primarily targeting the Malvern Hills AONB and Shropshire Hills AONB.
Applicants might still be able to take part if they are outside a primary target area, but they are within an eligible region, and the application significantly contributes to the learning from the pilot.
The UK’s Chief Plant Health Officer, Prof Nicola Spence, said:
'Plants and trees deliver £10.5 billion per year in social, environmental and economic benefits, from providing a safe environment for wildlife and sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, to enabling a sustainable timber industry.
'I encourage eligible stakeholders to help us protect these vital national assets by submitting their expressions of interest to the Tree Health pilot.'
Expressions of interest may be submitted now. No deadlines have been specified at this stage.
How To Apply
Those who are eligible and wish to take part will need to fill in an expression of interest form with some brief information about their trees and land. The Forestry Commission will then carry out an initial assessment and site visit. Based on this assessment and site visit, applicants might be invited to make a full application.
The expression of interest form is available at the programme website.
Useful documents & links
Useful Links
Addresses and contacts
For further information on how to obtain this grant locally, please contact the following:
- Enquiries - FAO Tree Health Pilot
Tree Health Pilot Scheme
Forestry Commission
Incentives Development Team
Sustainable Forest Management
620 Bristol Business Park
Bristol
BS16 1EJ
Email: [email protected]