Correspondence

eAlert 23 March 2021 - more on Nature for Climate Fund

Published 25 March 2021

Applies to England

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

1. 23 March 2021

Hear about the latest Nature for Climate Fund announcements, get involved with the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot, find out when the Woodland Carbon Fund closes for applications and look out for your annual claim forms.

2. Nature for Climate Fund

We are committed to protecting and restoring our natural environment. This spring we will be making a series of Nature for Climate Fund announcements. This will lead up to the publication of the government’s action plan on trees, woodland and forestry to increase tree planting across the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by 2025.

In recent months, we have announced £12.1 million of investment for tree planting in Community Forests across the country, as well as a new £3.9 million pot to support innovative planting schemes in towns and cities and near rivers to reduce flood risk.

3. Funding for tree nurseries that supply trees to Scotland

3.1 Apply for the Harvesting and Processing grant

This funding from Defra and the Scottish Government, looks to support tree nurseries in England who supply trees to Scotland. It is part of the national effort as part of the Nature for Climate fund to plant more trees.

Tree nurseries in England can use the funding to go towards seed trays, seed storage and sowing equipment, poly tunnels, cold storage facilities and irrigation systems. Adaptations to vehicles, machinery and premises to allow tree nurseries to continue safely under COVID-19 are also supported.

Find out if you’re eligible for the Harvesting and Processing Grant and how to apply.

4. The National Forest have planted their 9 millionth tree!

4.1 We are proud to share our partners exciting milestone.

Forestry Minister Zac Goldsmith would normally have been invited to plant this tree but during these times they decided to invite their newest ambassador for the National Forest to plant the milestone tree: Shaun the Sheep.

You can watch Shaun the Sheep plant the National Forest’s 9 millionth tree in a woodland near Mossy Bottom Farm.

Minister Zac Goldsmith sent his congratulations, he said:

At a time of such urgency for our climate and environment, this is a welcome and impressive achievement. Trees have brought transformation, not only for this post-industrial Midlands landscape, but in reconnecting habitats for wildlife, supporting outdoor learning and community wellbeing, and creating new jobs in tourism and woodland industries.

I am pleased to announce an extra £2.26m from the government’s Nature for Climate Fund which will enable the National Forest to double its tree planting aspirations for this year, bringing all the benefits of trees to even more people.

5. Introducing Forest for Cornwall and Broughton Sanctuary at Broughton Hall Estate and the White Rose Forest in Yorkshire

5.1 Two partnerships through the Nature for Climate Fund

5.2 Broughton Sanctuary at Broughton Hall Estate and the White Rose Forest in Yorkshire

On Thursday 18 March 2021 Defra announced that the White Rose Forest partnership would be supporting the Broughton Sanctuary at Broughton Hall Estate. It is to become the largest tree planting scheme in England this year with 160 hectares of trees planted between December 2020 and April 2021.

The project is funded by the Government’s Nature For Climate fund via Trees for Climate, a £12.1m programme of woodland creation this planting season led by England’s Community Forests. Once established, the woodland will also store significant quantities of carbon and help deliver the Government’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions in the UK by 2050.

5.3 Forest for Cornwall

On Friday 19 March 2021 Defra is announced a new partnership with Forest for Cornwall, it is backed by £120k from the Nature for Climate Fund (for 2020/21). The Forest for Cornwall aims is to create 8,000ha of woodland or about 2% of Cornwall by 2030. This Forest will not be a single area of new forest; the ambition is to significantly increase all forms of tree cover throughout Cornwall, whilst strengthening the protection of the existing backbone of trees, woodlands and hedges.

Following on from the Northumberland Forest Partnership announced by the Environment Secretary in 2019, setting up a new forestry partnership in Cornwall to help identify sites for afforestation and bring local stakeholders on board and identifies the essential role that Local Authorities and their partners have to play in achieving the Government’s ambition to increase tree planting rates to 30,000 hectares per year across the UK by 2025.

6. Launch of the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot

6.1 The window is now open for farmers to express interest in taking part in the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive is the first in a package of environmental land management schemes, which will provide a straightforward way for farmers to get paid for producing public goods. These include cleaner water, cleaner air and carbon reduction.

We’ll start to pilot the Sustainable Farming Incentive this year with an initial group of several hundred farmers. Then, in March 2022, we will start to roll out the scheme to recipients of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS).

6.2 Who’s eligible for the pilot

We’d like to involve several hundred farmers in the first phase of the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot, from a range of farm types from across England.

For the first phase of piloting, a farmer is only eligible if they:

• are a recipient of the Basic Payments Scheme, registered on the Rural Payments Agency system
• enter land parcels (fields) into the pilot that do not have an existing agri-environment agreement on them
• have management control of the land for the duration of the pilot. They must either own the land with management control or have a tenancy of enough length to implement their pilot agreement (including landlord’s permission if required)
• enter land parcels that are in England
• enter land parcels that are not common land Later, we’re planning to extend eligibility to include farmers who aren’t eligible for, or don’t claim, BPS. We also might add specific farm types not eligible for the first phase, like farms on common land

6.3 How to take part

On Monday 15 March 2021, we opened the window for farmers to express interest in taking part in the pilot. To express an interest, you just need to complete a short, simple online form.

We will then invite farmers from a mix of farms and locations to make a pilot application. If we’re oversubscribed, we’ll select farmers at random instead.

People who have been invited to apply will then need to prepare their full application. If they’re eligible, they will then enter into a pilot agreement. The first agreements will go live in October 2021.

7. Woodland Carbon Fund Closing Date

7.1 The Woodland Carbon Fund which launched in 2016 is about to reach its planned closure date, this is a reminder that new applications must be submitted by midnight on 31 March 2021.

If you are working on an application but will not be able to submit it to the Forestry Commission by the 31 March 2021 please contact wcf@forestrycommission.gov.uk to discuss alternative funding options. Applications that have been received will continue to be processed, please note all claims for planting will be due by 31 March 2022 and this deadline cannot be extended.

8. Forestry Commission Annual Claims 2021

8.1 Claim forms were sent out on 12 March

Look out for your 21/22 claim form if you have one of the following schemes:

• Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS)
• Farm Woodland Payment (FWP)

The cover letter and claim form have been sent by recorded delivery to the scheme’s main applicant, as they are the beneficiary of the funding. We will also contact the primary contact (which may be your agent) to make them aware of the annual claim and to contact their client.

The deadline for return for 21/22 Farm Woodland Payments and Farm Woodland Premium Scheme annual claims has been extended by two days, due to the usual 15 May deadline falling on a weekend.

Completed annual claim forms must be received by us no later than 17 May 2021 in order to avoid a late claim penalty being applied to the claim. Claims returned after 11 June 2021 will not receive a payment this year. Payments are normally made from the beginning of December.

Please contact your designated administration hub if you have not received your 21/22 annual claim.

Bucks Horn Oak: adminhub.buckshornoak@forestrycommission.gov.uk

Bullers Hill: adminhub.bullershill@forestrycommission.gov.uk

9. Felling Licence Online service – Update

9.1 Services is now available after a period of downtime

To enhance the security of the service, all automated emails will now be sent via a Forestry Commission email address and any new password must be a minimum of 10 characters (letters and numbers).

If you notice any issues when accessing the service to process of view Felling Licence Applications, please email fellinglicenceonline@forestrycommission.gov.uk.