Correspondence

eAlert: 3 July 2023

Published 4 July 2023

Applies to England

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1. The biosecure procurement requirement pilot now extended

1.1 Three additional grants are now part of the pilot.

We announced back in May that from the 1 July 2023, the Biosecure Procurement Requirement Pilot was being extended to include three additional government tree-planting funds to address risks to our biosecurity. This change has now come into effect. The current grants now covered by the pilot are: 

1.2 If you are a supplier: 

If you supply trees via any of the grants above, you will now need to meet the biosecurity requirements set out within the Plant Health Management Standard. You can do this by providing one of two types of evidence. Evidence can be either: 
 

  • Category A: current membership of the Plant Healthy Certification Scheme or official application and fees paid to join the Plant Healthy Certification Scheme, with full certification achieved within one year. 

or 

1.3 If you are a land manager currently working on a grant application: 

If you are applying to EWCO or the Tree Health pilot, please continue to use the current application forms on GOV.UK as these forms have not changed.  

If you are applying to LATF, UTCF or the HS2 Woodland Fund, you will find new grant manuals, application forms, terms and conditions and an exception form on the individual grant pages on GOV.UK, these will need to be used for all applications submitted from 1 July.  

1.4 If you are a land manager who has already applied to any of the grants above: 

The Biosecure Procurement Requirement Pilot has been operational for the England Woodland Creation Offer and Tree Health pilot since June 2022, so you will have already committed to source your trees from suppliers who already meet the biosecurity requirements set out within Plant Health Management Standard. 

If you have applied for LATF, UTCF, or HS2 WF prior to 1 July 2023, you aren’t required to source your trees from suppliers who meet the biosecurity requirements set out within the Plant Health Management Standard, however, we would strongly encourage you to do so to help ensure our green spaces are better protected from pests and diseases in the future. 

You can read more about the importance of better biosecurity in our new blog: Improving biosecurity for trees planted in urban areas and find out more on our GOV.UK page: Biosecure Procurement Requirement Pilot.

2. Why is landscape design so important to woodland creation?

2.1 New guidance launched!

Last month we launched our new guidance: Landscape and woodland design for woodland creation. It will help you find out how new woodland can enhance landscape character as well as a wide range of benefits to the woodland owner and society.

2.2 What does it cover?

Our guide looks at woodland design principles, the importance of landscape character appraisals and what to consider when working with protected and sensitive landscapes.
You can also read our blog to hear why Robin Gray, one of our Landscape & Woodland Design Advisors feels like this is so important to our work and how it identifies the challenges for the future.

Read the guidance: Landscape and woodland design for woodland creation.

Read the blog: Why is landscape design so important to woodland creation?.

3. Landscape Recovery - find out more!

3.1 Read a blog, join a webinar….

Following the launch of round two of the popular Landscape Recovery scheme, Defra will provide more information for potential applicants in two upcoming webinars.
 
Landscape Recovery is one of three Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, designed for farmers and land managers who want to take a large-scale, long-term approach to producing environmental and climate goods on their land. It provides a huge opportunity to fund ambitious landscape-scale projects through bespoke, long-term agreements and deliver many of our priority objectives.

3.2 Where can I find out more?

Thursday 15 June 10:00 am - 11:30 am Topic: applicant guidance and eligibility in detail.

Tuesday 8 August 10:00 am – 11:00 am Topic: Atamis and the process to apply.

4. Have your say: Consultation on Protecting Hedgerows

Consultation

On Wednesday 28 June, Defra launched a consultation on hedgerow protections in England.
 
We know that Hedgerows are important ecological building blocks across our landscapes. They provide habitat, act as wildlife corridors, slow soil erosion and water run-off, support crop pollinators and sequester carbon. That’s why, in order to protect the hedges we have and invest in their maintenance and further planting, Defra are consulting on regulations for hedgerow protections to fill in the gaps where these don’t already exist. At present farmers must not remove important hedgerows, must maintain a buffer strip along their hedgerows, and must not cut or trim hedgerows during bird nesting and rearing season.
 
Defra are seeking views on the best way to maintain and improve existing protections, as well as our approach to enforcement to ensure the regulations work for wildlife, the environment and for farmers.
 
The consultation will be open for 12 weeks and closes at 23:59 on 20 September 2023.
 
For more information, read the Defra blog: Protecting hedgerows: share your views.

Respond to the consultation.

5. New funding for species and wider nature recovery

5.1 Two new funding packages.

At the end of June the government announced two new funding packages for species and nature recovery. They are:

  1. Species Survival Fund (£25 million)
  2. Funding to support local authorities to develop Local Nature Recovery Strategies (£14 million)

5.2 Species Survival Fund

Administered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund the Species Survival Fund will support projects with grants of up to £3 million to tackle habitat loss, safeguard our fragile ecosystems and create nature-rich landscapes full of wildlife-friendly habitats such as grasslands, woodlands and wetlands.

Applications are open now and close on 21 July 2023. 
Find out if you are eligible and apply for the Species Survival Fund.

5.3 Local Nature Recovery Strategies

48 responsible authorities will receive £14 million across England to coordinate the development of a tailored local nature recovery strategy for their area. They are new statutory spatial strategies and will bring together a wide range of stakeholders, such as farmers, foresters, local communities and conservation bodies to agree and map priority areas and actions for nature recovery – for wildlife and wider benefits. The Forestry Commission will be supporting the process to help them identify priorities and opportunities for woodland and treescape restoration, improvement and creation.

6. Missed a webinar? Catch up here..

6.1 Ash dieback and improvements to the Tree Health Pilot grant webinar (23 June 2023)

This webinar explains more about the ash dieback grant offer within the Tree Health Pilot.

Watch the webinar

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