Form

LATF additional guidance

Updated 19 April 2024

Applies to England

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

Additional guidance on completing your LATF application.

Purpose 

This is a new guidance document to support applicants in applying for the Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF) Round 4. It details how to complete the LATF application form and the Project Cost Calculator (PCC). 

Completing your application 

Section 1: Lead applicant and contact details 

In this section, you need to submit details of the Lead Local Authority (LLA). Please see the ‘Who can apply?’ section in the LATF grant manual for more information. The LLA named will complete and submit the application and act as the responsible body who agrees to and signs the MoU. They will act as the Lead Applicant, and will become the sole named Agreement Holder and payee for LATF grant funds. 

You must also provide details of all lower-tier authorities and any other organisations such as local wildlife trusts participating as an ‘umbrella bid’ or group bid where applicable. If making an ‘umbrella bid’ or group bid, the LA must be the lead applicant detailed in section 1a. 

The Lead Applicant named in this section will be a nominated employee of the LLA, with sufficient authority to sign agreements, declarations and claims on behalf of the Agreement Holder (LLA). The Lead Applicant will also be the nominated point of contact for day-to-day enquiries. This allows us to contact you throughout the full grant lifecycle to provide updates, request information, communicate reporting requirements and notify you of site visits.  

We suggest you provide full contact details of up to 2 further nominated points of contact or partners who may contact the LATF inbox directly and support the named lead applicant with day-to-day project delivery. We hope this will mitigate the risk of the application (and future claims enquiries) being delayed due to the Lead Applicant being unavailable. If a partner has a strong need to liaise directly with the LATF inbox, but was not a nominated point of contact on the application form, written consent from either the lead applicant or nominated point of contact is required. All other correspondence with the LATF email inbox from partners within the bid must be coordinated by the lead applicant. 

1a Lead local authority details 

You should include: 

• full name, email address, phone number of the lead applicant (as defined above) who will act as the main point of contact for the application (Lead Local Authority) 
• Lead Local Authority full address 
• full contact details of up to two further nominated points of contact of key partners who may contact the LATF inbox directly 

1b Other local authority details  

You should include: 

• names of all lower-tier local authorities and/or other organisations in an umbrella bid or that you anticipate participating with and/or or those that will receive grant funds for tree planting or natural colonisation, including contact details: 

  • full name 
  • job title 
  • phone number  
  • email address 
  • address and department

Section 2: Evidence of need  

The evidence provided in Section 2 will be used to score and rank your application.  

2a Current distribution of trees outside woods (weighting 1 of 10) 

In this section, you need to describe the key settings for trees outside woodland in the local area.  

Provide a statement describing the approximate current distribution of trees outside woodlands in your application area and their functions. You can estimate areas in hectares (ha) if available or numbers of existing non-woodland trees. 

Detailed maps and exact locations are not required. We recommend using local surveys or publicly available datasets, for example those available via the Countryside Survey - EIDC. 

2b Overall condition of trees outside woods (weighting 3 of 10)  

Describe the decline of trees outside woodlands and any significant threats in the local area, making statements specific to the area covered by the application. You may detail losses caused by any factors as well as losses that are expected to occur soon. This will allow the Forestry Commission to assess the severity of past, present, and future loss of non-woodland trees across multiple settings in the Local Authority application area. Include numbers of trees at risk if you have this information. If you intend to plant replacement standards in urban or peri-urban areas, include details of those recently lost standards (in the last 3 years) due to stress or disease.

Case study example: 

Ash is a dominant tree in Gloucestershire’s landscapes providing up to 70% of the current tree cover in some areas. Ash dieback, first confirmed in Gloucestershire in 2016, has now affected trees in both urban and rural settings, and trees are expected to succumb to the disease across the county. Gloucester City alone has approximately 500 standalone Gloucester County Council-owned ash trees in open spaces across the city, all of which are in peril. Due to safety concerns, Gloucestershire County Council have a multi-year programme to fell a conservative estimate of 32,000 Gloucestershire County Council-owned ash trees along public highways. 

2c Effects of decline (weighting 6 of 10) 

Please outline the impact of decline or potential decline described in 2b. You will need to detail key environmental features that have been, or are predicted to be, impacted and any other known significant impacts from losses of trees in non-woodland locations. This includes the specific impacts on people and communities, including loss of ecosystem services and amenity value within your authority area.   

Please describe how many of your proposed planting sites fall on land located within Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) and Medium Super Output Areas (MSOAs) which are within the 25% most deprived according to the National Index of Multiple Deprivation.

Case study example: 

Following Dutch elm disease, ash dieback is creating even larger gaps in an already diminished network of trees in hedgerows, shelterbelts, and lining watercourses. In Gloucestershire, the violet click beetle seems to rely solely on ash. If the beetle cannot adapt locally to beech or oak, the species may eventually be lost to ash dieback. Furthermore, over 5,000 homes were flooded in the 2007 flood event in Gloucestershire. Climate change will make extreme weather events that lead to flooding more frequent and severe. Gloucestershire’s ecosystems and cities are being strengthened against threats such as ash dieback through the Local Authority Treescapes Fund, planting trees to restore flood defences and wildlife corridors.

Section 3: Benefits of the planting  

The evidence provided in Section 3 will be used to score and rank your application.  

3a Plans for planting (weighting 4 of 10) 

Describe how the proposed planting will help recovery from local decline described in Section 2. You may also describe other anticipated benefits of the planting plan, particularly benefits to local communities. 

In this section, you need to submit your plans for restoration of non-woodland treescapes across your Local Authority area. Where exact planting sites are known, please include this information. If exact sites are not known at this stage, explain how you intend to select specific planting sites. Planting activity or activity to support natural colonisation must take place in the Financial Year 2024-25. 

Explain how the proposed planting/natural colonisation will help recovery from the local impacts outlined in Section 2 and meet additional funding objectives detailed above.  

Please note that any standards planted in urban or peri-urban areas must be direct replacements for trees lost to threats such as stress or diseases within the last 3 years. These must be replanted within the same planting site or local area (for example, within 2km) and of a similar ultimate size. Where this is no suitable replanting site available, Forestry Commission may agree to up an 8km distance from the original site, on a case-by-case basis. The LATF defines urban and peri-urban areas as those that fall within the ‘UTCF Trees Close to People’ layer, in the ‘Targeting and Scoring’ dropdown on the Forestry Commission Map Browser.  

Include the rationale for the approximate locations. Consideration should be made to the overall landscape-scale benefits. For instance, if loss of mature ash trees in hedgerows is having a major impact in one area, you may explain that you intend to plant more trees in hedgerows in this area to ensure these trees and their associated benefits are replaced. Shadow planting close to trees that are expected to be lost within years is also encouraged.  

Describe your species/provenance and size choices for these locations and how this will contribute to the funding objectives above. It is a requirement of LATF to replant with a mixture of tree species, to enhance resilience to future diseases and climate change. It is particularly important to plant or encourage native tree species in rural areas as this provides effective support for biodiversity and landscape connectivity, although in urban areas the use of non-natives within species mixes may be appropriate.

If your plans involve land in areas which qualify for UTCF, or involve the planting of urban standards, please use this section to clearly justify how your plans qualify for LATF. Please see the ‘What will the fund pay for?’ section in the LATF grant manual for more information.  

Case study example: 

In Pennine Lancashire, LATF tree planting is serving to regenerate urban areas in green spaces, many of which were previously derelict or reclaimed. This round of LATF will provide a fresh layer of enhancement to these pockets of greenery. 

Meanwhile, Gloucestershire is enhancing a vital ecological corridor between the Dixton Hill and Bredon Hill sites of special scientific interest (SSSI), enabling passage for the violet click beetle from the latter special area of conservation (SAC). And, importantly, tree planting in Salmon Springs by the Stroud Valleys Project will help to reduce the risk of a re-run of the devastating floods of 2007. 

The following sources of information relating to species choice, resilience and optimal tree planting sites will assist you with your plans, along with the ‘Species composition’ section and Appendix 1 of the LATF Grant Manual. Although some of the below guidance references woodlands, the guidance can also apply to trees outside woods. One of the objectives of LATF is to improve outcomes for biodiversity, so the use of native trees is preferred in rural settings and encouraged.

Sources of information include:  

• Forest Research guidance on species and provenance choice  
• Forest Research Urban Tree Manual  
• Ecological Site Classification   
• Climate matching tool 
• FC guidance on managing woodlands in a climate emergency 
• FC guidance on managing ash trees outside woodland 
• Restocking following the loss of ash  
• sources of information for more urban areas are Right Trees for a Changing Climate database and the TDAG website and database

3b Social benefits (weighting 1 of 10) 

Estimate the percentage of your new planting or NC that will be accessible to the public. 

Trees planted on public land have full access. Trees planted in, for example state schools, have partial access. And trees planted in private land have no access unless this is additionally provided by the landowner (if so, please detail). 

3c Are you applying in partnership with at least one other Local Authority? (weighting 1 of 10) 

Please tick yes if your bid involves at least one other Local Authority.

Section 4: Project delivery and natural colonisation 

The evidence provided in Section 4 will be used to score and rank your application. Applications that provide a clear strategy for managing project delivery, support a collaborative approach and demonstrate strong communication links with key contacts will be scored more highly (see LATF Grant Manual Table 2 and Table 3). 

The Forestry Commission must have received your Post-Planting Report, supporting evidence and claim for all capital planting and natural colonisation preparation work by 31 March 2025. 

4a Your delivery plans (weighting 5 of 10) 

Describe how you will deliver ongoing maintenance and replacement of any newly-planted trees which have failed within 3 years of planting, including your expectations regarding the proportion of trees that will survive and fail.  

Also use this section to detail any staff or volunteer groups you are planning to utilise, including names and other details if possible. Local Authorities are encouraged to use innovative approaches, such as involving local communities in tree planting to maximise value for money and societal benefits. Local Authorities need to ensure trees are watered sufficiently, considering the changing environmental conditions.   

Applicants who provide clear evidence to demonstrate their ability to deliver will be scored more highly. Evidence can include, but is not limited to, letters from delivery partners and volunteers confirming their commitment and availability. 

If you are planning to use natural colonisation and have detailed this in your plan (Section 3: Planting plan), you must provide details of the resources and time available to see the colonisation through the establishment phase and beyond, including medium- to long-term monitoring to ensure the objectives are met.

Case study example: 

The Pennine Lancashire group made their LATF bid work through partnership and innovation, harnessing each partner’s individual strengths, and distributing the benefit across all. When approached by the Ribble Rivers Trust, who buy tens of thousands of trees every year, nurseries went out of their way to supply 40,000 trees. Following negotiations, Burnley District Council utilised their established tree planting procurement processes to purchase, then care for, all trees for the group bid, getting good value bulk purchases done quickly. 

Pennine Lancashire were encouraging people to plant trees to increase levels of outdoor activity among children, improve mental health among adults, and help deal with the high levels of obesity found in some areas. This tree planting has the added benefit of improving publicly accessible green spaces. One new planting site neighbours an NHS healthcare centre, and the direct contact with the practices will likely lead to tailored health-related activities for the patients and NHS staff. LATF enabled Ribble Rivers Trust and Prospects Foundation to massively scale up their school planting this winter, from a few schools to 40. 

In Gloucestershire, the Highways Team were able to utilise their existing procurement know-how to order and deliver all tree stock to parish councils. The Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) utilised their connections to help reach even more landowners. And Wotton Climate Action Network and Stroud Valleys Project provided vital volunteers on the ground.

Natural colonisation 

Explain the rationale for any enhanced natural colonisation that you intend to undertake. 

Case study example: 

In Pennine Lancashire, a recent ecology survey commissioned by Hyndburn Council recommended natural colonisation for 2 sites. One site, with ancient woodland and veteran oaks nearby, forms part of the main river network. Volunteer-led approaches for natural colonisation included protecting areas with natural materials, and the ancient art of ‘dead hedging’ to protect saplings. 

4b Approximate timescales (weighting 1 of 10) 

You must provide a basic timeline of delivery milestones to demonstrate that you have a project plan to deliver and claim for planting within the 2024-25 financial year (see below example). Include approximate delivery milestones for your project. Include natural colonisation where applicable. Detail your month-by-month milestones in a timeline. 

Example project timeline 

August

1. Communicate successful funding outcome to relevant parties. 

2. All delivery partners set to receive grants from the lead authority will sign an agreement to ensure delivery is within the conditions of the awarded funding. 

3. Gain consent from County Council to plant trees on schools’ grounds within the County Council area: sign agreement with the council and each participating school. 

4. Obtain relevant consents, licenses or permissions. 

5. Check location of utility pipes/wires (electricity, gas, water, phone, internet) around each site. 

6. Launch tenders for trees and other capital items. Provide tree planting/other relevant specifications as part of the procurement process, to ensure required standards will be met. 

7. Identify resourcing requirements, including gaps in resources already available. 

8. Create risk assessments for activities. 

September

1. Prepare the ground at the remnant ancient clough woodland to encourage natural colonisation. 

2. Determine how many trees (including woodland species and fruit varieties) are to be planted at each school: liaise with the school and County Council. 

3. Create site-specific tree species mixes and engage with partners and the public to create site-specific planting plans. Features that could be negatively affected by tree planting should be noted and considered. 

4. Recruit additional volunteers, targeting local communities who would benefit greatly from taking part in tree planting (such as those with high levels of health and wellbeing issues). 

5. Carry out dead-hedging at the Tinker Brook hedgerow, to provide seed stock for natural colonisation. 

October

1. Continue to recruit volunteers. 

2. Train community groups to run volunteer tree planting days, if required. 

3. Schedule tree planting days with volunteers and schools. 

4. Prepare sites for planting trees. 

5. Order trees and other capital items associated with tree planting. 

6. Purchase equipment required for tree planting with volunteers, community groups and schools. 

November to March

1. Plant trees at all sites, through concurrent planting at different sites across the application area. Training to be provided to participants at the start of each planting session. 

2. Collate data for reporting. 

3. Prepare Post-Planting Report. 

April to July

1. Monitor sites for signs of damage and produce plan for replacing trees that have been lost, if necessary. 

2. Monitor the natural colonisation sites for signs of new growth. Protect new growth within the remnant ancient clough woodland with guards.

4c Collecting and recording data (weighting 1 of 10) 

In this section of the application form, you must explain how you will achieve LATF data reporting requirements as specified in the LATF grant manual. Prompts are provided in the application form and you may also refer to the LATF PPR Guidance document for clarification of the type of evidence that needs to be collated and sent as part of your Post-Planting Report and Claim 2. You can provide details of actions or systems that will be used by staff, teams or partners and how the data collected will be co-ordinated by the lead LA. 

4d Procurement plan and biosecurity (weighting 3 of 10) 

Describe your procurement plan and detail the biosecurity practices or certification that you will look for in suppliers. It is important that the trees you use are free from pests and diseases. Where possible, detail the nurseries you will source your trees from and the plant health management standards in place including, for example, nurseries with Plant Healthy certification or similar (see the LATF Grant Manual for more information). 

4e Project costs supporting statement 

In this section of the application form, refer to your Project Cost Calculator (PCC) to explain how you estimated the costings in your funding bid (for returning applicants, this was previously incorporated into Part 3 of the PCC). Please address any significant differences above/below the Forestry Commission standard costs (see Part 1 of the PCC) as well as detailing the steps you have taken to increase value for money, for example through match funding. Include details of any external funding secured and any contributions in kind. 

Please include in this section your calculations for the monetary value of your match funding (such as volunteer time). Please note that as per the MoU, the principles of UK Forestry Standard require community engagement. For detailed guidance see the ‘Match Funding’ section of the LATF Grant manual and Part 3 of the PCC. 

The information in this section will be used in conjunction with your PCC (see Appendix 1) to assess value for money. It is important you demonstrate where you have been able make savings when sourcing products, as this will result in a higher score for this aspect of the application. 

Please check any match funding outlined within your PCC at this stage. Please ensure that, if the contributions outlined in Part 3 intend to reduce the costs within your bid value (rather than be in addition to), this reduction has been factored into the costs in Part 1 and 2. Make sure it is also reflected in Part 4 totals: specifically the green ‘Total LATF Proposed Agreement Value’ cell, which should be lower than the ‘Total Project Costs’ value if match funding is being included. Check the box to confirm you have checked this. Please let us know if you are concerned that this may not be accurately reflected within your PCC, or if you have any questions at all, and we can review this with you.  

4f UTCF cross-check 

You must declare, by ticking the checkbox, if you have/will be applying for the 2024-25 round of the Urban Tree Challenge Fund. This is to enable eligibility cross-checks. 

4g CLHF cross-check 

You must declare, by ticking the checkbox, if you have been awarded funding in 2023 for the Coronation Living Heritage Fund. This is to enable eligibility cross-checks.

Section 5: Declarations  

You must agree to all statements in this section for your application to be considered. Failure to comply with any of the mandatory requirements will result in your bid being rejected. Please tick, sign and date the tick box section at the bottom. The signature should be provided by the lead applicant named in Section 1a. This person should have sufficient authority to sign agreements on behalf of the LA. 

Details of the consequences of making any serious misrepresentations in relation to any declarations made are recorded in the MoU. LATF funding may be rescinded and the LA excluded from further LATF funding if having agreed to statement 10 of the Declarations and receiving funding, the LA is found to have made serious misrepresentation in their application.  

Section 6: Privacy notice  

Read the statements and ensure you understand how the Forestry Commission will handle any information submitted. As lead applicant you are responsible for informing any third parties of how the Forestry Commission will handle information relevant to them.

Document checklist  

We will only assess fully completed applications, so please ensure that you complete each section of the application form, as well as the Project Cost Calculator, using the built-in guidance and the information above. Both of these documents are required when submitting your application. 

Enquiries  

You can get further help from the Forestry Commission by emailing your enquiry to LATF@forestrycommission.gov.uk. Find out how to make a complaint or appeal. 

Appendix 1: How to complete the Project Cost Calculator 

The evidence provided in your Project Cost Calculator (PCC) will be used to score and rank your application. This part of the application will also be used to inform us on your funding allocation. Please complete the PCC (MS Excel Worksheet) following the guidance below. 

Project Cost Calculator (PCC) 

You must complete the PCC. Instructions for how to complete the PCC are embedded in the worksheet. When completing the PCC, you must detail capital expenditure using (£) sterling.  

This is a competitive grant, and those applications that can offer best value for money will be scored more highly.  

You will be asked to indicate an estimated quantity and unit price for each capital cost in your project budget. Some of these will be compared against standard costs set by the Forestry Commission to help us with our assessment (these are embedded in the PCC and can also be found in the ‘Standard costs for trees’ section of the LATF Grant manual). This is for our guidance only and you should always use realistic costs. You will also be asked to detail any funding you have sourced from external providers to contribute to your project, including any contributions in kind, in the match funding section.  

Always make sure you include costs for the full specification of tree planting in your estimated unit price. You should not include items listed in the planting specification (contained in the grey guidance boxes in Part 1 of the PCC) as additional capital items on Part 2 of the PCC. For example, if you apply for funding to supply and plant a feather tree, you cannot include a stake for that tree as an additional capital item (see ‘Standard costs for trees’ section of the LATF grant manual for more guidance on standard costs).