Form

LATF grant manual

Updated 19 April 2024

Applies to England

• Publication for Northern Ireland
• Publication for Scotland
• Publication for Wales

Revision history 

Round 4 v2.0: December 2023

Removal of the following:

• application form and project cost calculator guidance into separate document
• £300,000 bid limit (bids just need to be a minimum of £50,000 for R4); there will be a series of consecutive application windows, revised deadlines for these

Additions and clarifications: 

• available planting years and application/claims deadlines throughout whole document
• the fund is for capital costs only and cannot fund LA staffing costs incurred as part of the project
• requirement to declare CLHF application/award
• planting of LATF standards in urban areas will be direct replacements for standards lost within last 3 years
• addition of tree species annex (to align urban planting with UTCF) 
• clarification on how to claim 
• example of suitable map/photographic evidence to support PPR claim

Round 4 v1.0: 2 July 2023

Updated for round 4 of LATF, revising available planting years (from 2 years in round 3, to 1 year only in round 4) and incorporating the biosecure procurement requirement.

Round 3 v1.0: 8 February 2023

Updated 27 April 2023, withdrawn 11 July 2023.

Purpose

This Grant Manual presents the guidance to applicants and agreement holders as part of the Local Authority Treescapes Fund (updated for Round 4).

Introduction 

What is the fund? 

The Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF) funds Local Authority-led tree planting and assisted natural colonisation of trees outside woodlands (TOWs). This helps establish more trees in settings such as parklands, riparian zones, copses and shelterbelts, as well as green lanes and small linear woodlands alongside roads and footpaths. Planting and protecting new trees that are intended to grow into mature standards within hedgerows is permitted, though the creation of new hedgerows is not.  

The fund targets the restoration of treescapes that have been neglected or suffered damage in the past. This includes disused and vacant community spaces and treescapes affected by tree diseases such as ash dieback. Ash is the most common species of tree found in non-woodland locations in many areas.  

The fund aims to improve landscape connectivity outside woodland, increase natural colonisation and provide benefits to ecosystems and society, such as carbon absorption. TOWs are particularly valuable trees to society as they often support biodiversity by connecting fragmented habitats, provide cultural and social benefits and reduce flood risk. They also have strong local amenity benefits, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas. 

LATF is part of the government’s Nature for Climate Fund and will directly contribute to achieving our ambitious tree planting targets to restore habitats in England. 

Funding will be awarded as capital-only grants under Section 31 of the Local Government Act (2003) as amended under Section 78 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (amended 2021). 

In this Round (4), applications are invited for 1 year of planting activities only, followed by 3 years of maintenance. The LATF is inviting bids with a minimum value of £50,000, through competitive bidding. This guide provides details on the eligibility criteria, how to apply, and how to claim once an agreement is live. 

Who is running the fund? 

The Forestry Commission will be assessing applications and administering the LATF. If successful in your bid, you will be required to submit annual reports to the Forestry Commission for 3 years after planting and may be subject to on-site checks. 

Who can apply? 

Borough, District and City Councils, as well as County Councils, Unitary and Metropolitan Boroughs may apply individually or in groups. Group applications from multiple local authorities are still strongly encouraged, as partnership working maximises the shared benefits for each partner.  

Group applications must have one lead local authority (LLA), which may be upper or lower tier. Local Authorities (LAs) are encouraged to work in partnership with delivery partners (for example, community organisations, the NHS, local Wildlife Trusts, schools, NGOs, private land managers or private companies) to implement the proposed project. 

There is no limit on how many applications may be received per upper tier local authority area, and each bid will be scored independently based on your application.  

Parish councils will not be able to apply individually but will be able to apply as part of a group application with a District or City Council, as well as County Councils, Unitary and Metropolitan Boroughs. 

There may be only 1 application per applicant per year. The highest scoring applications will be awarded funding until all capital has been allocated. 

What will the fund pay for?  

The capital funding is exclusively for planting, or activities relating to natural colonisation, of trees outside woodlands (areas of trees < 0.5ha, or <20m wide or <20% canopy cover), and 3 additional years of maintenance costs. The LATF will fund planting of whips, feathers and standards and related capital costs. LATF cannot fund the time of a project co-ordinator within the LA. 

Eligibility  

You must meet all the criteria listed below to be awarded LATF funding. Failure to do so will prevent the Forestry Commission from assessing your bid: 

• individual applications may be received from: County, District, City and Borough Councils, London and Metropolitan Boroughs, Unitary Authorities, Combined Authorities and sui generis authorities (such as City of London Corporation) in England 
• the bid must have a minimum value of £50,000 
• applications must only include capital costs 
• in Round 4, each upper tier LA area is limited to one application for 1 year of planting/preparation for natural colonisation in financial year 2024-25, and maintenance activities for 3 years following planting. See ‘capital funding schedules’ for more information 
• planting areas must be below 0.5 hectares and must not result in an expansion of existing woodland 
• proposals intending to use natural colonisation must show that natural colonisation sites are within 75m of existing tree seed sources of at least 2 tree species  
• the planting site must not be ineligible under the Basic Payments Scheme (BPS) rules. See ‘Basic Payments Scheme’ for more information 
• applications must complete all sections of the application form or mark N/A 
• applications must include written confirmation from key confirmed delivery partners outlining their role and commitment to relevant funded activities 
• the LA must agree to all mandatory statements in section 5 of the LATF application form 
• the LA must agree in principle to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Forestry Commission in the application form. An example MoU is provided on the website 

• you must meet the Biosecure Procurement Requirement by sourcing your plants from suppliers who can provide evidence that they meet the requirements set out in the Plant Health Management Standard. This evidence must be provided at claim 2 stage and can be done in one of 2 ways:  

  • current membership of the Plant Healthy Certification scheme (provision of a Certification Number) or have officially applied to become certified (provision of an Application Number) 

  • for nurseries who are not current members of Plant Healthy certification, this should be achieved within 12 months of successful Ready to Plant (RtP) assessment (provision of a RtP Assessment Voucher with a unique Reference Number) associated with the grant agreement number 

If you are not purchasing your trees from a commercial supplier, you will be exempt from this requirement during the pilot phase of the biosecurity procurement requirement. It is recommended that exceptions are requested at application stage. You must wait for the exception to be approved by the Forestry Commission in writing, prior to sourcing the trees, to ensure your claims are valid. When you apply for your exception, you must provide a summary of how and where your trees were sourced, and the biosecurity measures that were in place to reduce the risks to those trees from diseases and insect pests. If you need to apply for an exception, please complete and submit a Biosecure Procurement Exception form.

Essential information  

Replacement of urban standards 

Planting of standards in urban or peri-urban areas must be direct replacements of trees lost to threats such as pests, diseases and extreme weather (provided those trees lost were not previously funded through the LATF) as well as old age. The LATF defines urban and peri-urban areas as those that fall within the ‘Urban Tree Challenge Fund (UTCF) Trees Close to People’ layer, in the ‘Targeting and Scoring’ dropdown on the Forestry Commission Map Browser.  

Replacement standards planted in this area must be replanted within the same planting site or local area (within 2km) and of a similar ultimate size. Where this is no suitable replanting site available, Forestry Commission may agree up to an 8km distance from the original site, on a case-by-case basis.  

If you are looking to fund standards in urban areas that are not replacement trees, you should apply for those planting sites through the UTCF. The UTCF and LATF are not mutually exclusive: LAs can apply for both grants at the same time, but not for the same piece of land.  

Read more information on the UTCF.

Species composition 

Within an urban area, the species composition requirement of the planting for LATF aligns with the requirements of the Urban Tree Challenge Fund (UTCF). See Appendix 1 for the list of tree species.  

An urban area, as defined for the purposes of the UTCF, is a built-up area (based on Office of National Statistics data) with a population of at least 2,000 people, and a buffer of 1km to account for peri-urban planting. This can be identified on the Forestry Commission map browser using the ‘UTCF Trees Close to People’ layer located in the ‘Targeting and Scoring’ list of map layers. 

Outside a defined urban area, the species composition of the planting should be aligned with UKFS requirements. Please see The UK Forestry Standard for more details. 

The following sources of information relating to species choice, resilience and optimal tree planting sites will assist you with your plans. Although some of the below guidance references woodlands, the guidance can also apply to trees outside woods. One of the objectives of LATF is to improve outcomes for biodiversity:  

• Forest Research guidance on species and provenance choice 
• Forest Research Urban Tree Manual 
• Forest Research Ecological Site Classification  
• Climate Matching Tool  
• Forestry Commission guidance on managing woodlands in a climate emergency 
• Forestry Commission guidance on managing ash trees outside woodland 
• Forestry Commission guidance on restocking woodland following the loss of ash 
• sources of information for more urban areas are  Right Trees for a Changing Climate database and the Trees and Design Action Group (TDAG) database.

Natural colonisation 

Explain the rationale for any enhanced natural colonisation that you intend to undertake. Natural colonisation is the process by which trees colonise new ground from existing local tree development, typically over several decades. You must demonstrate:  

• the suitability of sites for natural colonisation 
• that you understand and have considered key requirements for natural colonisation in your plan 
• that you have the skills and resource required to see the colonisation through the establishment phase and beyond 

To be eligible for funding, natural colonisation sites must be within 75m of existing tree seed sources of at least 2 tree species. 

Natural colonisation funded by the LATF is not allowed to expand existing woodland. The FC recently produced new guidance on using natural colonisation for the creation of new woodland, you should review this when planning as the general principles will apply to natural colonisation funded by LATF. All reference to woodland establishment, woodland creation plans and related legislation in the guidance will not apply to natural colonisation funded by LATF. 

Natural colonisation planning and objectives should be carefully considered. Natural colonisation sites are likely to require protection from browsing and grazing animals, ground preparation and vegetation management to create the required conditions. The guidance also details natural colonisation management requirements and other useful information relating to site surveying and selection, seed sources, seed characteristics, future costs and long-term management and future planting. 

Please see Using natural colonisation for the creation of new woodland for more information on establishing trees through natural colonisation.

Alternative planting methods  

Where appropriate, Miyawaki planting can be considered for LATF funding. Miyawaki method planting is an approach for rapidly creating miniature woodlands, for instance, in urban areas or on degraded land. It involves planting mixed native species at very close densities in small patches, to replicate natural processes of forest regeneration. Advantages include higher growth and survival rates, minimal maintenance after 2 years, higher diversity, and lower vulnerability to vandalism. Disadvantages are higher costs, including intensive soil preparation, mulching, watering during establishment, and more trees required per area. 

We would encourage any applicants looking to create Miyawaki forests to consider whether volunteers could help preparing and planting sites. This will increase community engagement and benefits as well as helping to reduce costs, which can otherwise be significant for this method. Third-party suppliers also offer Miyawaki-type planting, but the costs are often very high, which may reduce your application’s score.

Capital funds 

LATF is a capital funding grant. The LATF cannot fund the time of the programme coordinator if this is resourced within the LA. 

The funding is exclusively for capital items relating to planting and establishment, or activities relating to natural colonisation, of trees outside woodlands (areas of trees below 0.5 ha), and maintenance costs. Further details of costs deemed eligible can be found in Clause 6.3 of the example Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Bids are strongly encouraged to include match funding. Bids with lower costs per tree will be scored more highly, and match funding to reduce the overall costs per tree will therefore improve your application’s chances of success. However, there are no set thresholds for match funding required (please see ‘match funding’ below for more information).

Match funding 

Match funding refers to contributions, whether monetary (for example, private contributions) or in-kind (for example, volunteer time), by the applicant or external persons or organisations to support the project in addition to the grant requested. You must outline clearly in your Project Cost Calculator any match funding contributions to your bid.  

There is no set requirement for match funding for LATF. However, higher match funding is encouraged to reduce the overall costs per tree, as lower costs per tree will score more highly. We encourage match funding to engage more local partners in the success of your project and deliver more for the community. Please provide letters of support as evidence for any match funding provided.

Capital funding schedules 

Funded activities relating to planting or establishing trees in Round 4 must be completed and claimed within the financial year 2024-25.  

In Round 4, funding is available for 1 year of planting only. For Round 4, the Forestry Commission must have received your Year one Post-Planting Report, claim 2 (for completing planting and/or establishing conditions for natural colonisation) and supporting evidence by 31 March 2025. It will not be possible to defer planting or funding to the financial year 2025-26. 

Maintenance payments, to cover annual maintenance such as watering and weeding, may be made for up to 3 years from the date of planting, following annual submission of a claim and maintenance report by the LA and review by the Forestry Commission (see Section 4c Collecting and Recording Data). 

Funding will not be awarded for work undertaken prior to the start date of an LATF grant funding agreement, which is the date Forestry Commission receive the MoU signed by the Lead LA. Funding will not be awarded for work where required evidence cannot be provided.  

We will accept claims for capital items purchased prior to the Agreement Commencement Date. However, any ordering and payment of materials prior to the Agreement Commencement Date is done so at the sole risk of the applicant. The Forestry Commission will not accept liability for these items. 

Schedule for applications for 1-year planting: funded activities 

First payment for planting and/or establishing conditions for natural colonisation: financial year 2024-25: (must be completed and claimed by 31 March 2025). 

Followed by 3 equal annual payments for maintenance of trees planted in the financial year 2024-25 (winter 2024-25): 

• financial year 2025-26  
• financial year 2026-27 
• financial year 2027-28

Conditions of payments 

You should attempt to replant failed trees wherever practicable and proportionate to do so and must ensure a minimum survival rate of 75% of planted trees by the end of the maintenance period. Losses greater than this will be subject to the Forestry Commission’s Performance Improvement Plan.  

Replacements are expected to be funded by the LA and planting must be carried out satisfactorily to receive future maintenance payments. The LA may choose to plant a higher number of trees at the outset, to offset expected natural losses, or else undertake compensation planting in the second or third planting season (during the maintenance period).  

Trees lost due to exceptional circumstances, at the Forestry Commission’s discretion, may be offered the opportunity to apply for LATF Extraordinary Payments for Replanting in Exceptional Circumstances (EPREC). Where agreed, LATF EPREC will pay a standard cost to supply and plant trees to replace those lost due to exceptionally hot and dry weather. 

You may only apply for a one-year planting period (planting season winter 2024-25). 50% of the funding for planting that year will be provided up front (following agreement of the MoU). The remaining 50% will be provided upon receipt of the Post-Planting Report (for planting work completed that financial year). All claims for capital work (planting and/or establishing conditions for natural colonisation) must be completed and made by 31 March 2025.  

Payments for maintenance will be made at the end of the financial year, subject to satisfactory evidence for the maintenance work completed. The payment schedule and further details of the activity schedule are detailed in the LATF Agreement, which will be offered to all LAs selected to receive funding. 

Contingencies and any costs related to inflation are borne by the applicant. 

The Post-Planting Report (PPR) will be submitted by the lead LA, and reviewed by the Forestry Commission. The instalment may be downward adjusted if the final planting within the Post-Planting Report differs from the activity outlined in the MoU. All capital activities must be completed, with a claim and Post-Planting Report submitted by 31 March 2025. All detailed requirements will be provided in the Local Authority Treescape Fund Claim Form, where you can also find a specific LATF PPR Guidance document. A summary of this guidance can be found in the ‘How to claim’ section of this document.

Basic Payments Scheme (BPS) 

The LA should check whether the land on which recovery planting is proposed is used to claim payments under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), and whether such planting will make that land ineligible under the BPS scheme rules. Details on the eligibility of trees under the BPS can be found in the BPS rules for 2023 guidance. In cases where planting will make that land ineligible, the LA must notify the BPS claimant in question as per instructions in the BPS rules for 2023 guidance (‘How to apply for BPS’ section). Failure to do so will result in penalties for the BPS applicant.

How to apply 

If you want to plant trees in the coming 2024-25 planting season, you need to submit your application before 30 June 2024.  

LATF applications in Round 4 will be assessed on a first-come, first-served basis. A rolling application window will operate. Applications will be processed in batches at the end of a series of 2-month windows as follows until the funding is committed: 

• 1 September 2023 to 31 October 2023 
• 1 November 2023 to 31 December 2023 
• 1 January 2024 to 29 February 2024 
• 1 March 2024 to 30 April 2024 
• 1 May 2024 to 30 June 2024: this is the final application window for Round 4 applications for funding in 2024-25.  

Early applications are recommended. Please note that for any agreements offered before 31 March 2024 the up-front 50% payment will be held until the 2024-25 financial year. 

For Round 4, following the removal of the £300,000 cap, your bid is more likely to be successful if it includes a diverse range of planting that delivers good value for money. For example, no more than 50% of the total agreement value being allocated to Miyawaki planting.

You will need be able to complete the planting and/or establishment of conditions for natural colonisation and make the associated claim by 31 March 2025.  

To apply for LATF, LAs are required to: 

1. Register with Rural Payments to obtain a Single Business Identifier (SBI). This information must be provided in your application. Land submitted in an LATF application does not need to be registered on the Rural Land Register. 

2. Complete the written application form and Project Cost Calculator. Please refer to the separate Additional information to help you complete your LATF application and Project Cost Calculator guidance document available on the application forms webpage for more information on how to do this. 

3. Commit to reporting requirements. See ‘4c Recording and Collecting Data’ section of the application form and guidance for more information. 

4. Agree to all declarations detailed in Section 5 of the application form. 

Send your completed application form and supporting documents to LATF@forestrycommission.gov.uk

Indicative timelines for evaluation  

The approximate time it will take to assess your application, inform you of our decision and finalise the MoU is outlined below. Please factor in these lead times to set your year 1 planting targets accordingly. 

Table 1: Indicative timelines for evaluation

Application process	Indicative timelines for evaluation
Application submission	LATF Round 4 is open for applications now. You may submit your application year-round and processing will be undertaken in batches every 2 months (see the How to apply section)
Application receipt confirmation	You will receive confirmation of your application being received within 5 working days of submission
Application review and  communication of outcome	It will take up to 4 months for Forestry Commission to assess your application and communicate your outcome
Agreement sent	It will take a further 2 months to process and send the offer of funding, grant determination letter and MoU
Deadline to return signed MoU to Forestry Commission	15 days after application outcome receipt. You must not start works until this is returned and your agreement is live

LATF operates on a first-come-first-served basis so earlier applications are encouraged. Applications received after 30 June 2024 will not be considered.

Delivery plans 

LAs are encouraged to work in partnership with delivery partners (for example, community organisations, the NHS, local Wildlife Trusts, schools, NGOs, private land managers or private companies) to implement the proposed project.  

You are encouraged to review the UK Forestry Standard and in particular elements relating to consultation, engagement and communication. Please note that as per the MoU, the principles of the UK Forestry Standard require use of community engagement. Anticipated benefits to local people will be scored more highly (for instance by trees being planted in publicly accessible places).

Recording and reporting data  

Recording and reporting data in the Post-Planting Report is essential for continued payments to be made (see ‘Conditions of payments’ section above for more information). You must be able to map out tree planting, record sizes and species at each planting location. You must also collect data on what nurseries you have used, see ‘procurement plan and biosecurity’ below. 

It is a requirement of the fund that agreement holders:  

• record all planting sites (using grid references, maps and photographs) 
• record places of purchase of planting stock  
• co-ordinate partner returns 
• submit Post-Planting Reports (PPR) and maintenance reports (for example, photos and invoices to show that maintenance is carried out) 

Evidence should be kept for the lifetime of the agreement. You are encouraged to use innovative approaches, such as involving local communities in monitoring, to maximise value for money and societal benefits.  

You must provide all details required in the Post-Planting Report. It is important that you familiarise yourself with the PPR and evidence guidance before you start planting. Further guidance is provided in the LATF Post Planting Report Guidance document and an example of suitable evidence can be found in the ‘How to claim’ section of this document.

Procurement plan and biosecurity  

All applicants are required to source their planting stock from nurseries with robust biosecurity measures in place, for example, those with Plant Healthy certification or a Ready to Plant Voucher. It is important the plants and trees you use are free from pests and pathogens. Where commercial nurseries will not be used, there must be an explanation detailing why an exception is justified. 

Bids must show evidence that plants will be procured from biosecure stock, for example, a biosecure procurement policy from a LA.

Declarations  

You must agree to all statements in Section 5 of the application form for your application to be considered. Failure to comply with any of the mandatory requirements will result in your bid being rejected.  

Please check, sign and date the declaration boxes at the end of Section 5 of the application form. The signature must be provided by the named lead applicant (person with sufficient authority to sign agreements on behalf of the LA). 

Details of the consequences of making any serious misrepresentations in relation to any declarations made are recorded in the MoU. LATF funding may be rescinded and the LA excluded from further LATF funding if having agreed to statement 10 of the Declarations and receiving funding, the LA is found to have made serious misrepresentation in relation to those offences listed in the ‘List of Mandatory and Discretionary Exclusions’.

Project Cost Calculator 

The evidence provided in your Project Cost Calculator (PCC) will be used to score and rank your application. This will also be used to inform us on your funding allocation.  

You must complete the PCC (MS Excel Worksheet) following the guidance below and within the separate Additional information to help you complete your LATF application and Project Cost Calculator guidance document. Instructions for how to complete the PCC are also embedded in the worksheets within it. When completing the PCC, you must detail capital expenditure using £ sterling.  

This is a competitive grant, and those applications that can offer best value for money will be scored more highly.  

In the PCC, you will be asked to indicate an estimated quantity and unit price for each capital cost in your project budget. Some of these will be compared against standard costs set by the Forestry Commission to help us with our assessment (embedded in the PCC and can also be seen in the ‘Standard costs for trees’ section below). This is for our guidance only and you should always use realistic costs.  

You will also be asked to input details of any funding you have sourced from external providers to contribute to your project, including any contributions in kind, in the match funding section. A written justification of your costs is required in section 4e of the application form. 

Please note that your application cannot be assessed without a completed PCC.

Definitions of tree sizes 

The standardised items in the ‘Standard costs for trees’ section use the following tree size definitions, please note that these are a guide: 

Standard (STD)   

Standards are trees with a clear stem up to 1.8m from ground level with a head of branches. They come in a range of sizes and age is dependent on species and growth rate, with stem widths of 10-12cm up to 16-18cm. They are classified according to measurement of the circumference at 1.5m from ground level: 6-8cm STD, 8-10cm STD, 10-12cm STD, 12-14cm STD, 14-16cm STD. They can go up to as much as 30cm. The standard cost is based on a 14-16cm STD. Most standards for urban and peri-urban street planting are in the range 10-12cm STD to 14-16cm STD. Generally larger trees are selected for more vulnerable areas such as near schools, pubs and high footfall locations, smaller ones are used in quiet suburban roads.  

Feather  

Feathers are small trees that have a central stem with some side branches and are usually between 150cm and 175cm in height. They are usually between 4 to 6 years old depending on species and growth rate. Feathers are suitable for planting singly, in small groups or stands in school grounds, parks, woodland, wider highway verges and informal open space.  

Whip  

Whips are small single stem plants with little or no side shoots usually about a year in age. They are usually between 100cm to 125cm in height. Whips are suitable for planting in larger groups or blocks to create a feature, create impact in school grounds, parks, wider highway verges and informal open space.

Standard costs for trees 

Capital costs for LATF include costs associated with initial planting. 100% standard costs (£). 

Tree type: Standard 

Tree planting  

Supply containerised standard tree. Size used dependent on location. Prepare tree pit for standard tree in grass verge. Plant standard tree with twin softwood stakes as set out in the FC guide to forest fencing), watering tube/bag and mulch. Supply appropriate standard tree guard. Standard cost: £270.44. 

Annual maintenance 

For a period of 3 years, water young tree in pit via watering tube/bag, applying a minimum of 60 litres per visit with 14 visits per season. For a period of three years, 7 visits per year combined weeding, tie, and stake checking. Standard cost: £189.00 per year for 3 years.

Tree type: Feather  

Tree planting 

Supply and plant small tree. Supply a 1.2m tube, treated softwood stake (as set out in the FC guide to forest fencing), and labour. Standard cost: £3.79  

Annual maintenance  

For a period of 3 years carry out suitable weed management, such as spot spraying. Standard cost: £0.14 per year for 3 years. 

Tree type: Whip  

Tree planting 

Supply and plant whip tree. Supply a 0.7m tree shelter, mulch, and labour. Standard cost: £2.29  

Annual maintenance 

For a period of 3 years carry out appropriate weed control such as spot spraying. Standard cost: £0.14 per year for 3 years

Details of tree-planting costs 

The cost for large trees is based on planting using a tree pit in a grass verge. Other settings are acceptable, but any additional costs must be justified. Protection measures to encourage establishment and improve survival rate must be appropriate for the planting location. Anything not listed in the ‘Standard costs for trees’ section (and grey guidance box of Part 1 of the PCC) will have to be funded separately. The following items are examples of additional costs to include:  

• fencing can be included as a separate item 
• funding of works to remove tree stumps can be included as a separate item 
• additional tree protection required for trees positioned in areas prone to natural risks such as squirrels or rabbits  
• trees in grazed sites such as farmland and wood pasture will need to be protected 
• additional tree protection for trees positioned in community areas (such as those close to schools and pubs) where there is a potentially higher risk from vandalism

We encourage planting in areas which will provide social and community benefits such as education, recreation, and health

Project costs supporting statement 

You will need to provide a supporting statement in Section 4e of the application form, referring to your completed PCC and explaining how you have estimated the costs in your bid and achieved value for money. Include details of any external funding secured and any contributions in kind. This information will be used to assess value for money so it is important you demonstrate where you have been able make savings when sourcing products, as this will result in a higher score for this section.  

Please include your calculations for the monetary value of your match funding (for example, volunteer time). See the ‘Match funding’ section of this grant manual for more information. Please note that as per the MoU, the principles of UK Forestry Standard require community engagement.  

For more detailed guidance see Part 3 of the PCC and the supporting guidance Additional information to help you complete your LATF application and Project Cost Calculator.

Document checklist  

We will only assess fully-completed applications, so please ensure that you complete each section of the application form, as well as the Project Cost Calculator, using the guidance above and in the supporting document ‘How to complete your application’. Both documents are required when submitting your application. 

Need to know: application process 

1. If you wish to amend your application or withdraw your application at any time, please email LATF@forestrycommission.gov.uk. 

2. Applications for Round 4 must be for one-year planting only in FY 2024-25 (planting season winter 2024/25).  

3. If the information you submit in the text LATF Application Form differs from the information that you submit in the PCC, the PCC values will be taken over the values in the LATF Application Form.  

4. If you wish to include any additional supporting annexes not detailed in this guidance or the LATF Application Forms, you must seek advance agreement by emailing LATF@forestrycommission.gov.uk. The Forestry Commission will not assess unauthorised supporting documents.  

5. If you wish to clarify part of the application process, please email LATF@forestrycommission.gov.uk. If we consider information requests relevant to any applicant, we will provide additional guidance to all applicants (via Point of Contact provided) by email to ensure fairness and openness. We may be unable to respond to other support requests due to the competitive bid process.  

6. The Forestry Commission will consider the commercial sensitivity of all information requests received before providing additional guidance to all applicants. If relating information is relevant to all applicants and considered commercially sensitive, we will discuss with the enquiring applicant before releasing any information and will only release info in line with the privacy notice detailed in the LATF Application Form. We may be unable to support requests due to the competitive bidding process.  

7. The Forestry Commission reserves the right to amend, add to or withdraw all or any part of the funding application process at any time and will notify all applicants via the Point of Contact by email. If the change occurs within the LATF application window, Forestry Commission will notify interested parties via eAlert.  

8. All costs of applying to LATF are to be borne by applicant, regardless of outcome and irrespective of whether the Forestry Commission chooses to make a grant award to the applicant.  

9. The name of the LA and details within your application form will be shared with Defra and could be shared with other government departments or contractors to ensure that duplicate payments are not being made, and as part of the application review process and research purposes. 

10. LATF must not fund felling activities.  

11. The LA must declare if you have received or have applied for the Urban Tree Challenge fund or Coronation Living Heritage Fund. The Forestry Commission will carry out checks on each application using a variety of government tools including the Cabinet Office’s automated grants due diligence tool. 

12. The LA shall provide the Forestry Commission with full assistance in relation to obligations under Data Protection Legislation and any complaint, communication, or request. The LA shall notify the Data Controller immediately if it receives any requests relating to personal data or any other request, complaint or communication relating to obligations under the Data Protection Legislation. The LA shall maintain complete and accurate records and information and allow the Forestry Commission to audit records and information upon request. The LA will not release any information relating to the Forestry Commission without prior notification, consent, and written agreement from the Forestry Commission. The LA shall remain fully liable for all information released or mishandled by any third-party organisations. The LA agrees to take account of any guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office. The LA agrees to all data protection requirements as outlined in the MoU. 

13. The Forestry Commission will use any personal data provided by the LA to the Forestry Commission for the purposes of reviewing application information and performance of the LA against the information provided in the MoU and Application Form. It is the responsibility of the LA to notify partners and private individuals their information will be shared with the Forestry Commission for the purpose of administering and monitoring performance, including inspection.

How will applications be assessed? 

Round 4 applications will be assessed according to the rolling windows outlined in the ‘How to Apply’ section. Your application will be appraised by the Forestry Commission.  

Each question will be marked out of 100 by the marks defined in Table 3, based on how well the answer meets the evaluation criteria outlined in Table 2. Each question will normally be expected to achieve a minimum of 50 to pass the minimum evaluation criteria. The mark for each question will be multiplied by the weighting of the question outlined in Table 2 to give the final score for each question.  

If any question in the application form is left empty or has insufficient information, that application will be rejected with feedback and asked to reapply. The final score for each application based on the score for each section with an equation which prioritises value for money. If your application does not meet the minimum final scoring threshold, you will be asked to reapply with specific advice on how to meet this scoring threshold.  

The Forestry Commission reserves the right not to award grant funding to applications that do not meet this threshold. The Forestry Commission reserves the right not to award grant funding for some or all the available funding for which applications are invited. The Forestry Commission has the discretion to reject applications where it is deemed that funding would provide economic benefits to the recipient and/or the potential to distort competition. 

Bids that are recommended for funding by the Forestry Commission will be verified by an oversight panel. For applications that are confirmed as successful by the oversight panel, the panel secretariat will inform the highest scoring applications, until the capital allocation for the LATF has been committed.  

Timelines of the final funding decision are detailed in Table 1: Indicative timelines for evaluation. 

The evaluation of applications will be based on the criteria and weightings in Table 2 below. 

Table 2: Evaluation criteria and weighting

Section	Requirements	Weighting
2: Evidence of need
2a	Current distribution of trees outside woods	1
2b	Overall condition of trees outside woods (decline & threats)	3
2c	Effects of decline (impact)	6
	SECTION TOTAL	10
3: Benefits of the planting
3a	Plans for planting	4
3b	Social benefits	1
3c	Applying in partnership with at least one other LA	1
PCC	Monetised benefits	4
	SECTION TOTAL	10
4: Project delivery & natural colonisation
4a	Your delivery plans	5
4b	Approximate timescales	1
4c	Collecting & recording data	1
4d	Procurement plan & biosecurity	3
	SECTION TOTAL	10
4e: Costs
	Costs/value for money	4
PCC	Overall cost per tree	6
	SECTION TOTAL	10

Evaluation criteria by requirement 

Section 2: Evidence of need 

2a: Current distribution of trees outside woods 

Include the following details: 

• percentage canopy cover, hectares, or number of trees outside of woodlands in your area with species breakdown 
• functions: such as hedgerow trees, parkland trees, copses, roadside, or riparian trees 

If data isn’t available, you must indicate why.  

2b: Overall condition of trees outside woods 

Include the following details: 

• prevalence of tree health threats in the local area (for example, due to pests and disease or extreme weather) 
• predicted decline of treescapes outside woodland in the local area (for example, numbers of, or percentage of, trees lost or at risk) 
• key areas and/or environmental features impacted by degradation of trees outside woods in the local area 

2c: Effects of decline 

Include the following details: 

• the impact that losses of trees outside of woodland have and will have on loss of biodiversity, landscape connectivity, amenity value, ecosystem services and people in areas of proposed planting or natural colonisation 
• how many of your proposed planting sites fall on land located within Lower and Medium Super Output Areas (LSOAs & MSOAs) which are within the 25% most-deprived, according to the national Index of Multiple Deprivation 

Section 3: Benefits of the planting 

3a: Plans for planting 

How your trees or natural colonisation will: 

• benefit people/communities (for example, pollution removal, noise reduction, cooling of cities, generation of shade, exercise and wellbeing benefits including but not limited to involvement of vulnerable adults and children in planting and/or maintenance) 
• contribute to resilient future landscapes (for example, diverse species mix, shadow planting close to trees expected to be lost, flood prevention) 
• offer ecological benefits (for example, tree species [if known], biodiversity and landscape connectivity) 

If data is available, you should indicate how the species mix will benefit the landscape and increase the resilience of the treescape to disease and climate change. 

3b: Social benefits 

Give marks depending on percentage of planting accessible to the public: 

• 100 = 100% access 
• 75 = 80 to 99% access 
• 50 = 60 to 79% access 
• 25 = 1 to 59% access 
• 0 = 0% access  

3c: Applying in partnership with at least one other Local Authority? 

If they are partnering with at least one other LA, give a mark of 100. If not, give a mark of 0.  

PCC: Monetised benefits 

Monetised benefits calculated from numbers of trees of each size: 

• 100 = top 25% scores from relevant 2-month batch in Round 4.  
• 75 = in top 50-25% scores from relevant 2-month batch in Round 4.  
• 50 = in top 75-50% scored from relevant 2-month batch in Round 4.  
• 25 = in bottom 25% of scores from relevant 2-month batch in Round 4.  

Section 4: Project delivery and natural colonisation 

4a: Your delivery plans 

For tree planting, include the following details:  

• approximate planting locations (for example, sites for direct replacements of standards) 
• plans to survey, cultivate, and prepare ground, and methods to plant trees 
• plans for tree protection (for example, vandalism, grazing mammals, environmental factors) 
• the capability and resource available to you for project delivery, including delivery partners, contractors, use of volunteer or community groups relevant to planting site location 
• demonstrate the skills required for establishment and maintenance 

For natural colonisation, include the following details: 

• sites intended for natural colonisation, available seed sources and species (with sufficient diversity) expected to establish. Please note proposals must show that the activities will take place within 50m of an existing tree seed source 
• how you will manage competing vegetation 
• how you will manage or protect trees from grazing pressures 
• plans for supplementary planting if seed sources are inadequate 
• any additional activities planned to assist natural colonisation (for example, surveying, cultivation, ground preparation, supplementary planting) 
• demonstrate the skills required for establishment and maintenance 
• how you plan to mitigate and respond to any potential vandalism of the area 
• describe the predicted outcomes and timescales, should your plans for natural colonisation be successful 
• describe plans for medium-/long-term monitoring of natural colonisation projects, to ensure that intended outcomes are met 

4b: Approximate timescales 

Include the following details: 

• demonstrate your ability to deliver within the grant period via a realistic month-by-month timeline including key delivery milestones for year one 

• if you are applying as a partnership of local authorities, please include actions related to partnerships (for example, partnership task management and communications planned to demonstrate coordination of resource) 
• natural colonisation where applicable. 

4c: Collecting and recording data 

Include the following details: 

• method to record planting sites, tree species, sizes and number of trees in each location, in line with PPR requirements 
• appropriate mapping and accuracy of mapping 
• method to record places of purchase of planting stock (for example, trees, materials, tools) 
• how you will co-ordinate partner and volunteer returns 
• how you will co-ordinate evidence submissions to include maps, photographs 
• method to keep records of maintenance, including photos to evidence maintenance 
• how you will report on natural colonisation sites (for example, activities carried out, progress towards establishment) 

4d: Procurement plan and biosecurity  

Include the following details: 

• demonstrate how you will ensure that the project will meet the Biosecure Procurement Requirements when sourcing your trees 
• procurement from local tree nurseries with robust biosecurity practices to minimise transport of trees 

4e: Project costs supporting statement 

Project costs supporting statement (section 4e) must include: 

• calculation and explanation of estimated costs in the bid 
• justification of any costs which differ from the standard Forestry Commission costs by more than 10% above, or 30% below 

Include the following details to explain value for money: 

• evidence of keeping costs to a minimum (for example, bulk purchase deals, negotiated savings) 
• evidence of match funding, with supporting statements and calculations for monetary value 
• use of volunteers 
• additional external funding 
• in-kind contributions (for example, use of existing stock, equipment, resource) 

Project Cost Calculator (PCC): Overall cost per tree 

Higher scores for lower overall cost per tree, calculated from total bid value and number of trees. This final cost per tree will be reduced by higher levels of match funding when that directly reduces the bid amount required. 

Marks awarded:  

• 100 = top 25% scores from the relevant 2-month batch in Round 4 
• 75 = in top 50% scores from the relevant 2-month batch in Round 4 
• 50 = in top 75% scored from the relevant 2-month batch in Round 4 
• 25 = in bottom 75% of scores from relevant 2-month batch in Round 4  

The evaluation in Table 2 will be given scores in the following categories: 

Table 3: Mark definition

Mark	Description
0	Unacceptable: Nil or inadequate evidence. Fails to demonstrate an ability to deliver the requirements or objectives.
25	Poor: Evidence is partially relevant and/or poor. The response contains insufficient/limited detail or explanation to demonstrate how the requirements or objectives will be fulfilled.
50	Acceptable: Evidence is relevant and acceptable. The response demonstrates sufficient ability to fulfil basic requirements or objectives.
75	Good: Evidence is relevant and good. The response provides full details of how the requirements or objectives will be fulfilled.
100	Excellent: Evidence is completely relevant and excellent overall. The response clearly exceeds expectations, is comprehensive and provides details of how the requirements or objectives will be met in full.

If you are offered a grant 

You will be notified of the outcome of the bid via email and if successful you will receive the following documentation: 

• offer of funding letter  
• grant determination letter, formalising the offer of funding and outlining the LA’s responsibilities 
• LATF MoU  
• LATF claim form and claim declaration form  
• supplier creation form (only required if you do not already have a Forestry Commission supplier reference number) 

The completed and signed documents should be returned to LATF@forestrycommission.gov.uk to claim your first LATF instalment (see below for further detail). 

To support the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability, all Section 31 Grant Determinations will be made public, and all grant recipients notified.

Memorandum of Understanding 

This document will underpin the relationship between the Forestry Commission and the lead LA as permitted under section 31 (Local Government Act 2003). The MoU, Offer of Funding and the Grant Determination Letter will formalise the LA’s responsibilities to plant and maintain trees and obligations such as reporting fraud. The MoU will detail inspection and reporting requirements. It will also detail the processes to be followed if a LA does not meet expectations for the work carried out.

The MoU must be signed by the named lead applicant and returned to the Forestry Commission, before receiving any funds. Details of the approximate timescale for returning the signed MoU has been provided in Table 1, and exact dates will be confirmed to those awarded funding. Please visit Local Authority Treescapes Fund application form round 4 to view an example version of the MoU.   

If you do not sign an MoU, you will not receive funding. The Forestry Commission may terminate a Section 31 agreement where it determines that its MoU with a LA has been breached.

Payments  

The Forestry Commission may consider your project finance estimates to be beyond the expected costs Forestry Commission would tolerate and amend the value of your offer downward accordingly. The value of your offer will be communicated to you in the offer of funding letter. You will then sign and return an acceptance of offer form to the Forestry Commission, with your signed MoU and Claim 1 documents, at which point your agreement will be live.  

We will accept claims for capital items purchased prior to the agreement commencement date. However, any ordering and payment of materials prior to the agreement commencement date is done so at the sole risk of the applicant and Forestry Commission will not accept liability for these items.  

Funds will be available to claim in 2 instalments over your planting period. The first instalment will cover 50% of the total agreed for your planting period and can be claimed before works have been completed. Please note that for R4 any agreements offered and signed before 1 April 2024 will have the first instalment held until the 2024-25 financial year begins. After your initial 50% payment, you will claim for the remaining 50% for that year after planting and before 31 March 2025. The claim should be submitted alongside a Post-Planting Report and supporting evidence in the form of photographs, maps, and invoices to show numbers of trees planted and their locations. Note that, in line with the MoU, the FC may seek to adjust the second payment if agreed work has not been carried out. 

Read the Post-Planting Report (PPR), alongside supporting guidance to help you complete it. Please contact the LATF mailbox if you require further clarification on completing the PPR.

How to claim 

A LATF claim form for Claim 1 and a claim declaration form will be sent to you with your offer of funding and can also be found on gov.uk: Local Authority Treescape Fund Claim Form. This is the claim for the 50% upfront payment for planned planting/natural colonisation work. These forms should be signed, completed and returned to LATF@forestrycommission.gov.uk along with your signed MoU and Acceptance of Offer Form. Please note that for R4 agreements offered before 31 March 2024, the first claim will be paid after 31 March 2024. 

You should complete all capital works and submit a PPR and claim for up to the remaining 50% of planting/natural recolonisation work (Claim 2) before 11.59pm on 31 March 2025. To do this, complete and return the LATF Post Planting Report and Claim Form (Claim 2) – this spreadsheet has a claim declaration form embedded within it. This form can also be found on gov.uk: Local Authority Treescape Fund Claim Form. You can also find guidance here on how to complete the PPR. 

It is important to provide suitable evidence of all completed planting as part of your PPR and claim at the end of the financial year in which planting takes place, to ensure prompt payment of your claim.  

Grid references/maps and photographs must be provided for all planting locations. Photographs can be taken of individual trees where these are not close to others but can also be taken of groups of trees where many can be included in one shot. The photographs must be representative of planting in each location. 

This evidence is most easily recorded at the time of planting. Find further details about how to complete your PPR and claim, along with details of evidence required, in the online document LATF PPR Guidance document. 

The following map is an example of supporting evidence provided by a previous applicant as part of their PPR submission. It combines a precise location, species and photograph. Evidence of this quality enables the Forestry Commission to process a claim with minimal delay.

Example map. Reproduced with permission from Cambridgeshire County Council.

Annual maintenance payments can be claimed for (up to the values agreed) between 1 October and 31 March in each of the 3 subsequent financial years (2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28). To do this, complete and return the LATF Maintenance Claim Form and Claim Declaration Form which can be found on Local Authority Treescape Fund Claim Form. The final (third) maintenance claim must be accompanied by a ‘beat-up’ survey report. This is a survey evidencing that the LA has systematically surveyed each area of planting to ascertain that the required minimum 75% success rate has been achieved.

Reporting requirements and maintenance awards 

The importance of maintenance for planted trees is reflected in the annual reporting requirements Year 2 to 4. Maintenance claims can be submitted from 1 October following the first growing season after planting and in the financial year stated in the agreement payment profile. For example, trees planted between October 2024 and April 2025 will have their first growing season April to September 2025. Claims for maintenance can be submitted between 1 October 2025 and 31 March 2026 (and annually thereafter).

Maintenance payments will be made annually for up to 3 years from the date of planting, following maintenance activities, relevant reporting, and claims to Forestry Commission. A review of evidence and an assessment of photographic evidence from each LA will take place during the maintenance claims approval process.

Inspections  

In each year during the agreement period, planting on both public and private land will be subject to random or at-risk on-site inspection by the Forestry Commission. The LA will be given 48 hours’ notice prior to any inspection and are required to provide access to Forestry Commission staff. 

A representative of the LA need not be present at the time of inspection, but the nominated and named agreement holder/lead applicant on behalf of the lead LA (or their confirmed agent) must sign the Forestry Commission’s subsequent inspection report to confirm that they understand the inspection outcome. 

Inspections may look for evidence of defrayal, necessary consents, licences, and permissions (in particular, that they were in place prior to planting). It may also look for evidence that the grant-funded works have been undertaken in accordance with the MoU and published prescriptions, and to an acceptable standard.

Enquiries  

Get further help from the Forestry Commission by emailing LATF@forestrycommission.gov.uk. Find out how to make a complaint or appeal.

Appendix 1: Tree species for urban areas 

Broadleaf species list

Species name	Scientific name	Species code
Alder	Alnus spp	AR
Aspen	Populus tremula	ASP
Beech	Fagus sylvatica	BE
Big leaf maple	Acer macrophyllum	AMA
Birch (downy/silver)	Betula pubescens/pendula	BI
Bird cherry	Prunus padus	BCH
Black poplar	Populus nigra	BPO
Black walnut	Juglans nigra	JNI
Blackthorn	Prunus spinosa	PSP
Box	Buxus spp	BOX
Cider gum	Eucalyptus gunnii	EGU
Common alder	Alnus gultinosa	CAR
Common lime	Tilia europaea	CLI
Common walnut	Juglans regia	JRE
Crab apple	Malus sylvestris	CAP
Crack willow	Salix fragilis	CWL
Downy birch	Betula pubescens	PBI
Downy oak	Quercus pubescens	QPU
Elder	Sambucus nigra	ELD
Elm	Ulmus spp	EM
English elm	Ulmus procera	EEM
Field maple	Acer campestre	FM
Goat willow	Salix caprea	GWL
Green alder	Alnus viridis	VAR
Grey alder	Alnus incana	GAR
Grey poplar	Populus canescens	GPO
Grey willow	Salix cinerea	SCI
Hawthorn species	Crataegus spp	HAW
Hazel	Corylus avellana	HAZ
Holly species	Ilex spp	HOL
Holm oak	Quercus ilex	QIL
Hornbeam	Carpinus betulus	HBM
Horse chestnut	Aesculus hippocastanum	HCH
Hungarian oak	Quercus frainetto	QFR
Hybrid poplar	Populus serotina/trichocarpa	PO
Italian alder	Alnus cordata	IAR
Juniper	Juniperus communis	JUN
Large-leaved lime	Tilia platyphyllos	LLI
Lenga	Nothofagus pumilio	NPU
Lime	Tilia spp	LI
London plane	Platanus x acerifolia	LPL
mixed broadleaves		MB
Narrow-leafed ash	Fraxinus angustifolia	FAN
Norway maple	Acer platanoides	NOM
Oak (robur/petraea)	Quercus spp	OK
Oriental beech	Fagus orientalis	FOR
other birches	Betula spp	XBI
other broadleaves		XB
other cherry spp	Prunus spp	XCH
other Eucalyptus	other Eucalyptus	XEU
other Nothofagus	Nothofagus spp	XNO
other oak spp	Quercus spp	XOK
other poplar spp	Populus spp	XPO
other walnut	Juglans spp	XWA
other willows	Salix spp	XWL
Paper-bark birch	Betula papyrifera	BPA
Pedunculate/common oak	Quercus robur	POK
Plane spp	Platanus spp	XPL
Pyrenean oak	Quercus pyrenaica	QPY
Raoul/rauli	Nothofagus nervosa	RAN
Red alder	Alnus rubra	RAR
Red ash	Fraxinus pennsylvanica	FPE
Red oak	Quercus borealis	ROK
Roble	Nothofagus obliqua	RON
Rowan	Sorbus aucuparia	ROW
Sessile oak	Quercus petraea	SOK
Shagbark hickory	Carya ovata	COV
Shining gum	Eucalyptus nitens	ENI
Silver birch	Betula pendula	SBI
Silver maple	Acer saccharinum	ASA
Small-leaved lime	Tilia cordata	SLI
Smooth-leaved elm	Ulmus carpinifolia	SEM
Spindle	Euonymus europaeus	SPI
Sweet chestnut	Castanea sativa	SC
Sycamore	Acer pseudoplatanus	SY
Tulip tree	Liriodendron tulipifera	TUL
Turkey oak	Quercus cerris	QCE
White ash	Fraxinus americana	FAM
White oak	Quercus alba	QAL
White poplar	Populus alba	WPO
White willow	Salix alba	WWL
Whitebeam	Sorbus aria	WHI
Wild cherry/gean	Prunus avium	WCH
Wild service tree	Sorbus torminalis	WST
Wych elm	Ulmus glabra	WEM

Conifer species list

Species name	Scientific name	Species code
Armand’s pine	Pinus armandii	PAR
Atlas cedar	Cedrus atlantica	CAT
Austrian pine	Pinus nigra var nigra	AUP
Bhutan pine	Pinus wallichiana	PWA
Bishop pine	Pinus muricata	BIP
Bornmullers fir	Abies bornmuelleriana	BMF
Calabrian pine	Pinus brutia	PBR
Cedar of Lebanon	Cedrus libani	LCD
Coast redwood	Sequoia sempervirens	RSQ
Corsican pine	Pinus nigra var maritima	CP
Douglas fir	Pseudotsuga menziesii	DF
European silver fir	Abies alba	ESF
Grand fir	Abies grandis	GF
Grecian fir	Abies cephalonica	GKF
Japanese cedar	Cryptomeria japonica	JCR
Korean pine	Pinus koreana	PKO
Lawsons cypress	Chamaecyparis lawsoniana	LC
Leyland cypress	Cupressocyparis leylandii	LEC
Loblolly pine	Pinus taeda	PTA
Lodgepole pine	Pinus contorta	LP
Macedonian pine	Pinus peuce	MCP
Maritime pine	Pinus pinaster	MAP
Mexican white pine	Pinus ayacahuite	PAY
Mixed conifers		MC
Monterey pine	Pinus radiata	RAP
Mountain pine	Pinus uncinate	MOP
Noble fir	Abies procera	NF
Nordmann fir	Abies nordmanniana	NMF
Norway spruce	Picea abies	NS
Oriental spruce	Picea orientalis	ORS
other cedar	Cedrus spp	XCD
other conifers		XC
other firs (Abies)	Abies spp	XF
other pines	Pinus spp	XP
other spruce	Picea spp	XS
Ponderosa pine	Pinus ponderosa	PDP
Red (pacific silver) fir	Abies amabilis	RF
Scots pine	Pinus sylvestris	SP
Serbian spruce	Picea omorika	OMS
Sitka spruce	Picea sitchensis	SS
Slash pine	Pinus ellottii	PEL
Wellingtonia	Sequoiadendron giganteum	WSQ
Western hemlock	Tsuga heterophylla	WH
Western red cedar	Thuja plicata	RC
Western white pine	Pinus monticola	PMO
Weymouth pine	Pinus strobus	WEP
Yew	Taxus baccata	YEW
Yunnan pine	Pinus yunnanensis	PYU