Correspondence

eAlert: 4 November 2019 - Woodland Carbon Guarantee launches and reassurance given for planting trees now

Published 4 November 2019

Applies to England

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

This month, the Minister for Forestry and Climate Adaptation, Zac Goldsmith has issued a statement to reassure land managers to plant trees now. We launch the Woodland Carbon Guarantee, the HS2 Woodland Fund is open for applications and offers a reminder of the submission deadlines and find out how to apply online for your felling licence.

1. Reassurance to land managers to plant trees now

Today Zac Goldsmith has offered reassurance to land managers to plant trees now - you can read the statement here:

I understand there is concern among private landowners, land managers and their advisers in England, about committing to woodland creation until the future of grant funding is clearer. I want to reassure you that support for tree planting and woodland creation will continue to be part of this government’s agenda. There is no need for concern about how woodland created now will be treated under Environmental Land Management (ELM) in the future and certainly no reason to delay tree planting. To respond to the climate emergency, we need you to plant trees now.

Defra’s commitment Defra is already committed to supporting woodland creation throughout England through Countryside Stewardship (CS) grants, the Woodland Carbon Fund (WCF) and other incentives available now. The CS Woodland Creation Grant can provide up to an average of £6,800 per hectare for individual applications. This covers the capital costs of both planting and tree protection. The WCF can provide similar support for standard sites, but up to £8,500 per hectare for peri-urban sites offering public access. Newly created woodlands are also eligible for substantial maintenance payments of either £200 per hectare each year for 10 years under CS, or a one-off capital payment of £1,000 per hectare in year 5, following successful establishment, under WCF. Woodlands and forestry created through the support of these existing grants will capture carbon, helping to meet our net zero emissions target for the UK, as well as supporting our biodiversity and water objectives. To respond to the climate emergency, we need you to take-up these good offers and to plant trees now.

Driving woodland creation The Rural Development Programme and its CS Woodland Creation Grant is our key driver for woodland creation, and over the past two years has funded 3 million of the 3.6 million trees planted, supported by the government. Defra is committed to support all landowners who take-up any of our current grant schemes. The Forestry Commission also provides the Woodland Creation Planning Grant to support landowners to prepare woodland creation plans that meet the requirements of the UK Forestry Standard. These plans can then be used to apply for either Countryside Stewardship or the Woodland Carbon Fund. As well as these grants, the government is now launching an additional, new support mechanism; the ‘Woodland Carbon Guarantee’ (WCaG), which will offer landowners in England planting new woodlands, long-term payments for the carbon captured by these new woods. The combination of our current grants and the new Woodland Carbon Guarantee means there is no reason at all to delay decisions on woodland creation. To respond to the climate emergency, we need you to plant trees now.

Our approach going forward We believe in the importance of short and long-term approaches to protecting and enhancing the landscape in England for the next generation. We have a manifesto commitment to plant 11 million trees by 2022 and committed in our 25 Year Environment Plan to increase woodland cover to 12% in England by 2060. Land owners taking up our current grant offers for woodland creation will be capturing carbon emissions and greatly adding to our existing woodland cover. Woodland creation will continue to be supported during the period of transition from the Countryside Stewardship scheme, before the new Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELM) is rolled-out in late 2024, following three years of pilots. We recognise that trees, woodlands and forestry in different situations, designed and planted for different objectives, provide multiple benefits and can help deliver the six public goods that ELM will pay for, as we listed in the 25 Year Environment Plan. These include: climate change adaptation and mitigation; thriving plants and wildlife; and protection from and reduction of environmental hazards. We are considering the future role of ELM in incentivising woodland creation, alongside other sources of funding, including our current grant offers. Regardless of how we fund woodland creation, the on-going benefits that trees, woodlands and forestry offer will need to be considered within or alongside the future ELM scheme, so there’s nothing to be gained by waiting to see what ELM will do for woodland creation. To respond to the climate emergency, we need you to plant trees now.

Treatment of woodland created now, during the agricultural transition We have heard from some stakeholders that land managers are concerned they may be disadvantaged if they plant trees on their land now, as that land or those trees they plant, now, would somehow ‘not count’ towards any qualifying environmental requirements for the future ELM system. This is simply not the case. We have already been clear that no-one in a Countryside Stewardship agreement will be unfairly disadvantaged when we transition to new arrangements under ELM. This applies to those taking up any of our current woodland creation offers, so there is no reason to put off decisions to create new woodlands and forests. We will make sure there is a smooth transition to ELM, so that land managers already delivering improved environmental outcomes using our woodland creation grant funding, are incentivised to continue to do that throughout the agricultural transition, with minimal disruption. There is no need for concern about how woodland created now will be treated under ELM in the future and certainly no reason to delay tree planting. To respond to the climate emergency, we need you to plant trees now.

Reassurance to landowners I reiterate that: our current grants present an attractive offer; trees, woodlands and forestry will be considered within or alongside the future ELM scheme; and no one creating new woodlands using our current grants will be unfairly disadvantaged when we transition to new arrangements under ELM. Until then, take-up of our current grants offers a viable, long-term source of income for delivering environmental benefits. I urge land managers to take up these offers, now. I’m reminded of an old Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now”, which feels particularly relevant today.

2. Woodland Carbon Guarantee launches today

Plant new woodland to capture carbon, start your application now.

Today the Woodland Carbon Guarantee opens for you to enter into a contract to sell your captured carbon dioxide to the government for a guaranteed price every five or ten years up to 2055/56, which provides an additional long-term income from your woodland. You can read more about if you are eligible and how to apply on our Woodland Carbon Guarantee GOV.UK page and on the press release.

Sir Harry Studholme, Chair of the Forestry Commission, said: “Creating more woodland is vital in the fight against climate change, and the Guarantee provides land managers with long term certainty of a guaranteed payment rate for carbon, which their trees lock up and store.”

In order to apply for the Woodland Carbon Guarantee you must be registered with the Woodland Carbon Code. Register with the Woodland Carbon Code now.

The Woodland Carbon Guarantee is unlike any other woodland creation scheme we have on offer as it not a grant or a fund and it does not contribute towards the cost of planning, establishment or early maintenance. However Woodland Carbon Guarantee applications may be made alongside applications for other existing grants (for example, Countryside Stewardship, the Woodland Carbon Fund or the HS2 Woodland Fund) provided that the agreement was signed after 29 October 2018.

Ian Gambles, Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission has written a blog telling customers about the benefits of applying.

3. Have you thought about your winter 2020/21 planting?

The HS2 Woodland Fund is now open to woodland creation and PAWS restoration applications.

The HS2 Woodland Fund is now open to woodland creation and PAWS restoration applications for planting in winter 2020/21. That might seem a long way off, but applying now (before 24 January 2020) to get an agreement by spring/summer next year, would leave you plenty of time to arrange plant supply and contractors afterwards. Remember that the golden rule of grant schemes is that no work (including ordering plants) can take place before you formally enter an grant agreement, so planning ahead to get an agreement in place well before the planting season makes a lot of sense!

The HS2 woodland fund has quarterly deadlines for application submissions. For next year, these will be:

• early May 2020 for 2020/21 planting

• mid-August 2020 for 2021/22 planting

• late November 2020 for 2021/22 planting

• late January 2020 for 2021/22 planting

Get in touch with your local Woodland Officer or email hs2woodlandfund@forestrycommission.gov.uk for more information.

4. Need a felling licence? Apply online today

Our online service is being used by more customers each month!

Since the launch of Felling Licence Online in October of last year (2018), over 850 individual users have registered an account and submitted a felling licence application. Since the launch we have received over 1,900 applications online with October 2019 becoming our most successful month so far with 74% of all applications received via Felling Licence Online.

Find out more about how to apply online for a felling licence and watch our video guides on the application process.