eAlert: 30 May 2023
Published 21 June 2023
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2023
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1. HS2 Woodland Fund
1.1 The HS2 Woodland Fund reopens today.
The HS2 Woodland Fund has re-opened today (Tuesday 30 May) for applications supporting projects that create and restore woodland along the High Speed Two (HS2) Phase One route.
£3.25m is available to support woodland creation and the restoration of plantations of ancient woodland sites (PAWS). First launched in November 2017 and managed by the Forestry Commission on behalf of HS2 Ltd, the fund is available for sites located up to 25 miles from phase one of the route from London to the West Midlands.
The Woodland Creation aspect of the fund will now be available under the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO).
Funding for the restoration of PAWS will remain as a standalone offer and will be open year-round to applications over the next two years, up until March 2025. Applications will be assessed four times per year, with the first deadline on 30 June 2023. Applications submitted by 30 June 2023 will be assessed by a panel in July 2023 before being assigned to a Woodland Officer. Decisions will be communicated by end of October 2023, giving proposals the best chance to be implemented during winter 23/24.
Sir William Worsley, Forestry Commission Chair, said:
We must ensure that woodlands and habitats impacted by HS2 are effectively restored and protected.
By facilitating the creation of new woodland, and bringing new life to ancient woodlands, the HS2 Woodland Fund will continue to be instrumental in ensuring that any loss from the project is sufficiently compensated for.
Application forms are available from GOV.UK. A new case study is also available to read about a landowner’s experience of applying to the HS2 Woodland Fund and restoring an ancient woodland site.
2. Make sure you are complying with the new oak processionary moth regulations
2.1 Check to make sure you comply.
On 24 May 2023 a new regulation permitting the movement of large oak trees and trade within the Established area and Buffer zone, provided certain biosecurity requirements and movement restrictions are met came into force.
To fund out more and make sure you are meeting the regulations see our GOV.UK page: Managing oak prosessionary Moth in England and watch the video below.
Watch the video explaining the changes to the movement of oak trees
3. Don’t miss your opportunity to apply for the Urban Tree Challenge Fund and Local Authority Treescapes Fund
3.1 Apply by 30 June 2023.
The Urban Tree Challenge Fund (UTCF) and Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF) are open and applications can be submitted at any time but will need to be received before 30 June 2023, if you want to plant trees in the coming planting season. We can only guarantee up to two years of funding for applications received on or before 30 June 2023. Applications received after that date will be considered for the planting season 24/25.
Apply for the Urban Tree Challenge Fund
Apply for the Local Authority Treescapes Fund
4. Women in Forestry exhibition - read the blog
4.1 Read about the opening of this ground-breaking new exhibition exploring the little known contribution of the Lumberjills to wartime forestry and beyond.
Last week the Women in Forestry exhibition opened in Grizedale Forest, the Lake District. It is open to the public until 10 December 2023.
Read our latest blog From lumberjack to lumberjill: Why forestry isn’t just for men by Kate Hawley, Area Operations Manager for Yorkshire and the North East. Kate reflects on her experience of being a woman in forestry and the significance of this new exhibition.
5. Defra farming announcements
Last week, Defra made two announcements relating to tenant and upland farmers, please see links below for more information.
24 May: Defra set’s out its next steps to support tenant farmers in response to the Rock Review. Read more here.
25 May: Upland farmers will benefit from improved access to the government’s farming schemes. Read more here.
6. Join a webinar
6.1 Ash dieback and improvements to the Tree Health Pilot grant
Join us to learn more about how we can support landowners dealing with ash dieback.
6.2 Seed Sourcing - Meet the experts
Don’t miss your opportunity to book on to this webinar to hear from the experts about this grant!
6.3 Forestry England Woodland Partnership for Local Authorities
Join Forestry England’s Woodland Creation Team to hear about their Woodland Partnership, an exciting opportunity supporting local authorities to deliver woodland creation and meet ambitions for action on climate change, nature, and the provision of accessible green space for all.