Correspondence

eAlert: 15 May 2020 - working hard to provide our services

Published 15 May 2020

Applies to England

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

We know that many people rely on our services. We aim to continue our normal operational work as far as it is safe to do so – both for us and others. Our focus will be to continue to do as much as we can remotely. In some cases we may contact customers to ask for more information to progress applications, however if we need to visit your site then we will contact you to discuss any specific arrangements we need to put in place to ensure the safety of our customers and staff. You can read more in our Operational Update on GOV.UK.

Below, you can find updates on the working practices of others in the sector:

• Rural Payments Agency

• Natural England

• Environment Agency

• Animal and Plant Health Agency

• Confor information hub

1. Annual claim deadline extended

Submit your annual claim by 15 June 2020.

Due to disruption caused by coronavirus the government has given an extended deadline of 15 June 2020 to submit your annual Farm Woodland claims without penalty, these include:

• Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS)

• Farm Woodland Payments (FWP)

It’s important to submit your claim on time. Claims not received by this date will incur a 100% late claim penalty.

Claims which are received by 15 June 2020 but are missing information have until 30 June to provide the information. After this time they will be subject to a penalty of 1% per day until 10 July. After 10 July they will be considered invalid and 100% penalty will be applied. The box on the last page of your claim form must be fully completed.

Common missing information includes a valid Agent Authority form available on GOV.UK and an answer to the Income from Farming question.

Claims can be sent via email and post. For postage claims, please ensure proof of postage in the event that it might be delayed.

Please email your claim form to your admin hub at the email address below. If you think you might have problems meeting this deadline, contact your admin hub.

• Bucks Horn Oak - adminhub.buckshornoak@forestrycommission.gov.uk this Hub generally covers the East of the country

• Bullers Hill - adminhub.bullershill@forestrycommission.gov.uk this Hub generally covers the West of the country

2. Apply for small tree planting from the Urban Tree Challenge Fund

Watch our webinar for help and advice on completing your application.

Round 2 of the Urban Tree Challenge Fund is currently open for small tree planting applications. The application window runs until 31 May 2020. Due to coronavirus this deadline may be extended. Please check our GOV.UK page after 20 May for an update.

To help with the application process and to answer some FAQs, there is now a short webinar available.

This includes what can be funded, how to find out if you are eligible and a demonstration of how to fill in the application annex document. For further questions, please contact UTCF@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

3. Conducting our surveillance flights during coronavirus

Supporting the sector in larch P.ramourm detection.

Seventy one felling licence applications containing larch species and located in P.ramorum Zones 1 and 2 are held back as part of the moratorium on processing, awaiting tree health surveillance flights.

Due to coronavirus, new ways of socially distant working have had to be developed for use in helicopter flights that allows the necessary surveillance work to be successfully undertaken. These tests have now been successfully completed. Larch flights (normally undertaken in April) have now began as of week commencing 11 May 2020, subject to favourable weather conditions.

4. Complete the British Woodlands Survey

If you are a landowner with an interest in our trees and forests we would love to hear from you.

The British Woodlands Survey 2020 (BWS2020) has been launched and remains open until the end of June 2020.

In this survey researchers aim to reach even more people than in previous surveys, in particular landowners, land managers, agents, tree nurseries and businesses who have an interest in our trees and forests, in order to understand awareness, action and aspiration among Britain’s forestry community to environmental change.

The Forestry Commission are funding the survey in support of the Sylva foundation and we would like to encourage everyone to complete the survey!

5. Deer management activity during coronavirus restrictions

Find out about our deer management team.

The Forestry Commission continues to support deer management activity to prevent damage to newly planted or vulnerable woodlands, particularly those under a Countryside Stewardship or similar scheme, during the current coronavirus restrictions.

While few individuals are employed specifically to manage deer, we recognise there are a significant number of deer managers operating on a part-time, semi-professional basis, undertaking woodland or crop protection.

Our view is that where management is clearly justified, and at the request of the landowner or manager, deer management should continue as long as current government guidance on social distancing is observed.

Forestry Commission Deer Management Team

Following a recent recruitment exercise, three regionally-based Deer Officers are now in post to deliver on-the-ground deer management and best practice advice to landowners, managers, agents and practitioners, raising awareness and helping to facilitate activities.

Additionally, a Deer Advisor based within the National Office team is developing and influencing current and future policy, regulations and incentives to support the woodland creation, management and resilience agenda.

Deer Officers based in Area Offices are able to offer advice on deer, their impacts and management. Comprehensive Best Practice Guidance provides further information.

6. Let us know how we are doing

Please complete our customer survey.

If you have had a decision on a grant or regulation from the Forestry Commission recently then you should have had a link to complete our customer survey. Please do take the opportunity to give us some feedback as we have found this really useful in making improvements to the way we do business.