Correspondence

eAlert: 23 September 2021 - England Woodland Creation Offer updates

Published 24 September 2021

Applies to England

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

1. Amendments to Environmental Stewardship Agreements in order to apply to the England Woodland Creation Offer

Following collective work by Defra, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), Natural England and the Forestry Commission, land managers can now transfer land from an Environmental Stewardship (ES) agreement into the England Woodland Creation offer (EWCO) without the recovery of ES payments, subject to certain conditions.

The conditions are:

a. the transfer of land into EWCO will result in a net improvement in environmental management on that land, compared to management under the existing ES agreement

b. the ES agreement remains viable after transfer of the land and removal from the ES agreement

1.1 How will it work?

When we receive a EWCO application for land in an ES agreement we will arrange for the RPA to assess whether these conditions are met. The RPA will make this assessment with advice from Natural England.

Where the conditions are met, we will process the EWCO application and the applicant will need to apply to the RPA to amend the ES agreement (to remove affected parcels). The ES amendment will not be finalised until the EWCO application has been processed.

Where the EWCO application is successful, we will offer a EWCO Agreement in Principle. The applicant will then need to instruct the RPA to complete the amendment to allow the EWCO agreement to go live.

If you now wish to apply for EWCO on land in an ES agreement please submit a EWCO application, completing the forms and following the online guidance.

We will be contacting those customers directly impacted by this change.

For enquiries relating to EWCO or the process outlined above, please contact EWCOenquiries@forestrycommission.gov.uk. For enquiries relating to conditions (a) and (b), or the process of removing land from an ES agreement, please contact ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk.

2. Updates to the EWCO Grant Manual

Version 2.0 of the EWCO Grant Manual is now available on GOV.UK.

The EWCO Grant Manual has been updated to include the following:

2.1 Updated EWCO layer names in Land Information Search (LIS)

Spatial targeting layers for EWCO now contain the ‘EWCO’ prefix in the LIS to make it easier for applicants to select the relevant layers (e.g., ‘EWCO Biodiversity – Priority Habitat Network’).

2.2 Chartered accountant statements for agreements where capital item costs exceed £50,000

Statements from accountants confirming applicants have the funds to complete capital works must be dated within the last three months.

2.3 Planting trees on existing woodland

EWCO will not pay for planting trees on land which is considered an existing woodland.

2.4 Untrialled species

Untrialled species have been redefined as ‘species whose performance, potential for invasiveness and susceptibility to known plant health issues when grown in England is currently not proven’. These species will be permitted at the discretion of the Forestry Commission.

2.5 Requirements for integral woodland open space

Agreement from your Woodland Officer will be required for discrete areas exceeding 0.5 ha of non-linear open space.

2.6 EWCO and Environmental Stewardship

Land managers can now transfer land from an ES agreement into the EWCO without the recovery of ES payments, subject to certain conditions.

3. England Woodland Creation Offer - using the Land Information Search tool

Guidance on using the Land Information Search to check if you are eligible for Additional Contributions under EWCO.

As part of ongoing work to improve the Land Information Search the names of the spatial layers you need to check to see if you are eligible for the Additional Contributions in EWCO have been revised.

Please use the following under the Targeting and Scoring heading:

• Biodiversity - Priority Habitat Network
• Water – Water Quality
• Water – Flood Risk
• Cross-Cutting - Keeping Rivers Cool
• NfC Social
• NfC Ammonia emissions capture for SSSI protection

Within the Land Information Search you can make the layers you are viewing transparency. The transparency you set will apply to all the layers.

To apply the transparency setting:

1. Click on the ellipsis (…) next to “Data” at the top of the Map Layer Menu
2. Click on Transparency
3. Use the slider to set the desires transparency. This setting will apply to all the layers you view

4. Woodland Carbon Guarantee fourth auction results

The fourth auction for the Woodland Carbon Guarantee closed on 01 August 2021.

A total of 23 projects were entered into the fourth auction which was a competitive process with a good range of successful participants. In total, 19 contracts have been offered by the Forestry Commission covering 331 hectares, of which 111 hectares are predominantly native woodland.

The fourth auction encouraged a range of bids for different woodland types. The average price paid for Woodland Carbon Units in the fourth auction was £20.32. However, this should not be taken as a firm indicator of acceptable bids in future auctions. Applicants should be aware that the auction process is competitive and lower bids are more likely to be successful.

The date of the next auction in 2022 will be published in due course, further information about the guarantee can be found online.

5. Tree Production Innovation Fund application success

We are delighted to report the recent success of the Tree Production Innovation Fund application window. We received 31 applications in total.

Applicants will be notified of their funding decision by 23:59 on 28 September 2021.

Read more about the fund on our website.

6. Help shape our future approach to protect plants from pests and diseases

A new consultation has launched to inform the new Plant Biosecurity Strategy that will protect the nation’s plants from harmful pests and diseases.

Keen gardeners, nursery owners, farmers, landowners and environmental groups can all take part in the 10-week consultation.

Great Britain already has some of the most robust biosecurity measures in the world but our approach is kept under constant review to ensure these standards are maintained and plants are protected as we face emerging challenges.

The consultation sets out a new vision for plant health and potential measures to strengthen the existing biosecurity regime. The consultation closes on 30 November 2021.

Have your say

7. Changes to felling licence applications

Felling licence application process will be simplified when swift action is required to prevent the spread of pests or diseases and protect public safety.

A limited number of felling licence applications directly related to the management of tree pests and diseases may be exempt from being included on the Public Consultation Register before the trees are felled.

The change will come into effect from 22 October 2021 and will be applied to very specific situations, for example to prevent the spread of quarantine pests or diseases.

You can read more about the changes online.

8. Forestry England woodland creation scheme moves to year-round applications

The Forestry England Woodland Partnership is moving to a year-round scheme with applications now welcome at any time.

The scheme offers long-term rental income to farmers, landowners and public bodies in return for a minimum 50-hectare lease.

It also gives applicants the chance to diversify their farming or landowning businesses and receive guaranteed, regular payments by leasing areas of land for Forestry England to create and manage new woodland.

Further information on the Forestry England Woodland Partnership and how to apply is on Forestry England’s website.

Find out more and apply