Fast-track applications for the England Woodland Creation Offer
Find out how the Woodland Creation Fast Track (WCFT) supports quicker decisions for England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) proposals in low sensitivity areas.
Applies to England
If your England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) proposal is within a low sensitivity area, your application may be processed under the Woodland Creation Fast Track (WCFT). This route provides a quicker processing time for EWCO.
The Forestry Commission will aim to make regulatory decisions and a grant offer within 12 weeks.
Fast track criteria
We can fast-track your EWCO application if your proposal is:
- located entirely within a low sensitivity area for woodland creation
- compliant with the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS)
- submitted as a complete application with all necessary supporting information
- in line with all existing eligibility requirements for EWCO
- on land with no previous EWCO applications or agreements
- on land with no existing incompatible grant agreements in place that have more than 6 months remaining and will require amendment
The WCFT does not remove the need to gather supporting evidence or to develop a UKFS compliant proposal.
Check your land is within a low sensitivity area
Check the Forestry Commission map browser and land information search to see if your land is within a low sensitivity area using the ‘England woodland creation low sensitivity map version 4.0’ layer.
In some cases, we may allow up to 10% of your proposed woodland to fall outside the low sensitivity area, if:
- this is required for good woodland design
- the only sensitivity on the 10% is the land’s agricultural grade – you can check on the ‘England woodland creation low sensitivity map version 4.0 variant 3*’ to see if this applies
*Variant 3 includes land grade 3a under agricultural land classification, which is excluded from the standard map.
Read the guidance on woodland creation sensitivity maps to find out more about the different map variants and what they show.
Fast-track timeline and process
If you’re eligible and want to take the WCFT route:
- answer the relevant question in tab 1 on the EWCO application form
- add ‘WCFT application’ in the subject line of your email submission
We aim to make a decision on your woodland creation proposal within 12- weeks.
The 12-week period starts after your application has been checked to make sure all relevant information has been submitted.
If technical checks indicate that the proposal does not meet the UKFS requirements and guidelines, we will pause the 12-week period and work with you to ensure compliance before resuming the fast track process.
In some cases, your application may exceed the 12-week timeframe or be removed from WCFT. For example, if a constraint to woodland creation is later identified that was not recognised in the initial application or accounted for in the low sensitivity area. In such cases, we will contact you and provide advice accordingly.
Updates to this page
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Added further criteria in line with the EWCO application process. Removed the section 'grants available for fast track'.
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First published.