FY6: Restore coppicing in woodland
Find out about eligibility and requirements for the restore coppicing in woodland item.
This item is part of Higher Tier Capital Grants 2025. You must read the Higher Tier capital grants 2025 guidance to understand the rules and how to apply.
If you’re applying for this item as part of a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) application, you must read the CSHT applicant’s guide to understand the rules and how to apply.
How much you’ll be paid
Up to 80% of actual costs
How this item benefits the environment
Using this item to cut areas of neglected coppice stools (one tree with several shoots) which have not been actively managed will restore coppice management. Overstood coppice is where the coppice shoots have been left uncut to grow into tall muti-stemmed trees. This enhances temporary open spaces which will increase biodiversity.
Where you can use this item
You can use this item in woodlands where you have agreed with the Forestry Commission that coppicing is appropriate. You’ll need a woodland management plan.
You can also use it alongside these Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier actions and supplements:
- CWD2: Woodland improvement
- CWS2 Manage and restore plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) supplement
- CWS5: Improve woodland resilience supplement
- CWS7: Manage historic features in woodlands supplement
- CWS8: Manage native woodland including ancient semi-natural woodlands (ASNW) supplement)
What you must do to use this item
You must:
- provide at least 3 written quotations for completion of the work with your application, identifying associated costs
- agree the selected quotation with the Forestry Commission
- coppice trees between September and the end of March
- cut trees at an agreed height above ground level
- protect cut stools from livestock, deer and rabbits (if needed) to allow re-growth
Evidence you must keep
You must keep and provide with your claim:
- receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is not available
- photographs of the completed work
- detailed specification document
- copies of any planning or other permission
- any consents or permissions connected with the works
- a felling licence from the Forestry Commission (if applicable)
You must also keep and provide on request:
- a copy of the Forestry Commission advice
- a Forestry Commission approved woodland management plan
- photographs of site before works start
- photographs of the completed work
Read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the Agreement holder’s guide: Capital Grants, Higher Tier capital grants and Protection and Infrastructure grants for more information.
If you’re applying for this item as part of a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) application, read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the CSHT agreement holder’s guide.
Other items you can use with this item
You can use this item with:
FG4: Rabbit fencing supplement
FY8: Supplement for a freestanding deer high seat
Advice to help you use this item
The following advice may help you to use this item, but you do not have to follow it to get paid. It’s not part of this item’s requirements.
Controlling injurious weeds
You should control the growth of nettle, thistle, dock, ragwort and other weed species. If you need to apply herbicide, do this by spot treatment or weed wiping only.
Picking the right location
You can use this item for blocks of trees that were previously in a coppice rotation but are now overstood.
You can also use it either:
- to bring trees into a coppicing programme
- for the selection of single stems to grow on to become mature trees
Consider the short-term visual impact on the landscape when deciding what percentage of trees you’ll coppice.
Managing the coppice
Angle cuts away from the centre of the stool when coppicing to allow water to run off.
You can use cut material to create dead hedging around cut stools or dispose of it by either:
- stacking in piles on site
- removing it from the site
- burning
Leave material in as large pieces as possible and do not stack against the trees that have been cut.
You can burn small branches and twigs (under 10cm in diameter) on site providing trees are not damaged. Avoid disposal on sensitive habitats or historic features.
Fire sites should be a minimum of 10m from the canopy of any tree.
Simple coppice
An even-aged, single-storey crop generally grown for fuelwood and medium or small sized produce (or just one of these).
Coppice with standards
In many coppice woodlands, a proportion of trees are grown to timber size with the coppice as a layer of vegetation below (understory). Alternatively, you could use a different species to the coppice crop that you encourage to grow to a high forest tree.
Such trees are called ‘standards’ and can occupy a small or large amount of the stand. They often occupy around 30% to 40% of the area. The standards are widely spaced so their crowns are not touching, allowing plenty of light to the coppice crop below. The standards can be of various ages and should consist of 3 to 6 different age classes. They can be of a different species (for example, a coppice storey of hazel with standards of oak).