A pilot Woodland
Trust scheme is offering expert advice and grants of up to £4,000 to landowners
who want to create small, new native woods.
TRUSTwoods is open
to people looking to create between one and three hectares of woodland in a
trial area of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire,
Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and
Worcestershire.
Director of woodland
outreach John Tucker said: “We need new woodland like never before. Government
has recently committed to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The
expansion of the UK’s tree canopy cover from 13% to 17% is an essential part of
the solution, but for the country to reach that target we need to see a
three-fold increase in current woodland creation levels.
“Locking up carbon
isn’t the only reason to plant trees though. The right tree in the right place
can improve soil quality and stability, reduce the impact of flooding, provide
shelter for crops or livestock, vital habitat for wildlife or a place for us to
simply get away from it all.”
TRUSTwoods can help
landowners in ten pilot areas get more trees in the ground.
To qualify for a
TRUSTwoods grant new woodland should meet at least one of these criteria:
- Extend existing ancient
woodland;
- Extend other woodland;
- Increase ecological
connectivity, such as linking hedgerows;
- Engage the public; for
example, with a new tree planting event;
- Increase public access to
woodland; and
- Enhance the ecological,
cultural and visual value of the landscape.
The Woodland Trust
has appointed the independent Woodland Advisors Group to run TRUSTwoods.
Landowners must
commission a Woodland Advisors Group consultant (woodlandadvisorsgroup.co.uk)
to design and cost the new wood. These plans should then be uploaded with a map
and design of the new woodland, as part of an online application, to woodlandtrust.org.uk/trustwoods.
Applications will be
assessed on a first-come, first served basis and the Woodland Trust will notify
successful applicants and confirm their grants. Planting should take place in
the winter of 2019-20.
