Correspondence

eAlert: 25 August 2022

Published 25 August 2022

Applies to England

1. Apply now for the Sixth Woodland Carbon Guarantee Auction

Applications can be made for the sixth Woodland Carbon Guarantee Auction until 23:59 on Sunday 6 November, ahead of the auction taking place 21–27 November 2022.

The Woodland Carbon Guarantee is a Forestry Commission-administered £50 million scheme that aims to help accelerate woodland planting rates and permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Following an online auction process, successful bidders will be offered the option to sell woodland carbon in the form of Woodland Carbon Units - a financial value given to each tonne of carbon stored - to the government over 35 years at a guaranteed price protected against inflation. The scheme reflects the government’s confidence in the continued growth of markets for woodland carbon, as landowners will have a revenue stream in future from selling carbon on the domestic market.

Before applying for the Guarantee, land managers will need to have registered with the Woodland Carbon Code, which provides the tools and information required to forecast and verify the carbon they are capturing and can sell in future.

Apply for the Woodland Carbon Guarantee

Have you considered the benefits woodland creation can have to help tackle the effects of climate change? Take a look at our fact sheet: The benefits of woodland creation Woods and Carbon, and see if creating woodland and the Woodland Carbon Guarantee might be for you?

Before applying for the the Woodland Carbon Guarantee you will need to register with the Woodland Carbon Code.

2. Hot and dry weather conditions in England

Read our recent eAlert: Advice on hot and dry weather conditions in England for more information.
If you have concerns that you may not be able to meet the requirements of your grant agreement due to the prolonged hot and dry weather conditions and want advice about your options, please contact the relevant grant administrator as soon as possible. When doing so, please provide your grant type and your agreement number or reference (and your SBI, where relevant).

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is the relevant grant administrator for Countryside Stewardship schemes.

Contact the RPA:

Rural Payments Agency
PO BOX 352
Worksop
S80 9FG 
Phone: 03000 200 301

Email: ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk The Forestry Commission is the relevant grant administrator for:

  • legacy woodland schemes
  • England Woodland Creation Offer
  • Tree Health Pilot
  • HS2 Woodland Fund
  • Urban Tree Challenge Fund
  • Local Authority Treescapes Fund
  • Woodland Carbon Fund

Our national Compliance team will be a single point of contact for all FC grant schemes and triage communications to the relevant grant or hub team as appropriate.

Contact the Forestry Commission Compliance team:

Forest Services Compliance Team
620 Bristol Business Park
Bristol
BS16 1EJ 
Email: fs.compliance@forestrycommission.gov.uk

3. New Blog post from Defra’s Trees and Forestry Team – taking stock at the half way-point of the year

Subscribe to our blog to get the latest stories from the Forestry Commission.
 
Hear more in our latest blog: Defra’s Trees and Forestry team - taking stock at the half way point of the year from Bella Murfin and Naomi Matthiessen, job share Directors for the Nature for Climate Fund Tree Programme in Defra, as they talk about what happened through the last planting season, and share preparations for the next.