Tree Health Pilot

Grants for trees in and outside of woodlands

If you join the tree health pilot scheme, you’ll get a grant to help pay back some of the costs of carrying out work, for example, to remove and replace diseased trees. The scheme covers trees both in woodlands and outside of woodlands, depending on the grant you apply for.

The Forestry Commission may change, add or remove tree types or pests and diseases, grants or rates of payment, throughout the duration of the pilot. Your grant agreement will not be affected by changes the Forestry Commission makes to the pilot after you’ve signed it.

Grant requirements for trees in woodland

If you’re applying for trees in a woodland, the group of trees you’re applying for must:

• cover at least 0.5 hectares

• be at least 5 metres high, or will grow to this height

• have a crown cover of more than 20% of the ground area

Grant requirements for trees outside woodland

Trees outside of woodlands are any trees or small woods which cover an area of less than 0.5 hectares. For example, trees in hedgerows, along a road or in parks.

Group grants for oak trees affected by Oak Processionary Moth (OPM)

This grant supports a facilitator bringing together a group of people, to better understand the risks and hazards of oak processionary moth on their trees in the Established Area (see the map of the Established Area within London and the South East).

The facilitator will get financial support and advice to create a group OPM management plan. The plan will set out site-specific actions for individual group members and also area-based actions for the whole group.

If you would like to request a copy of the OPM management plan, email: thpilotenquiries@forestrycommission.gov.uk

Groups will also be supported by the Forestry Commission-run OPM workshops. Group members can learn from specialists and ask questions about how to manage oak trees with OPM and the risks they pose.

To apply for this grant you will need to:

• be part of a group

• make one group application

• have oak trees in the Established Area that may be affected by OPM

You can apply for a grant to pay back the costs of:

• your time spent acting as a facilitator for the group (for example, forming the group, creating the group’s OPM management plan, organising tree surveying)

• hiring contractors to survey the group’s oak trees to identify OPM

Grants for ash with ash dieback

You can only apply for these grants as part of a group application. Grants apply to roadside ash with ash dieback in and outside of woodlands.

There are no grants for felling ash with ash dieback. There are grants available to help with other costs associated with felling roadside ash, such as road closure costs.

If you need to fell ash trees, you’ll need to get a felling licence, unless the Forestry Commission confirms the ash trees are dangerous and exempt. Read about managing ash trees affected by ash dieback.

If you need to improve access to trees as you carry out work, you can apply for a road closure grant to pay for road closure costs. You’ll need to contact your local council to find out how road closures work and how much they cost in your area.

Funding for ash trees in and outside of woodlands

You can apply for grants to pay back the costs of:

• a European protected species site survey to plan how to fell and restock without causing harm or disturbing protected species (if you cannot avoid disturbing protected species, you’ll need a licence from Natural England)

• road closures while you fell your infected ash trees

• a facilitator’s time to manage a group application

• restocking and capital items to replace the trees with different tree species that are more likely to withstand pests, diseases and climate change, including items to protect them (for example, fencing and netting)

• maintenance, if you’ve applied for a restocking grant (this is paid at the end of your agreement year for 3 years, to help establish new trees)

Grants for larch with Phytophthora ramorum

You can apply as an individual or as a group for grants for larch trees with Phytophthora ramorum in woodlands (more than 0.5ha).

If you own a group of larch trees (less than 0.5ha) infected with Phytophthora ramorum, you can apply as part of a group application. The total area of the larch trees in the group must be 0.5ha or larger.

Grants for individuals will pay back the costs of:

• infrastructure and access aids to improve access to your woodlands - for example, a temporary road surface so you can remove felled trees

• felling, for infected larch trees where you cannot sell the timber or recover your costs from selling it (you can only apply for this either with an infrastructure and access aids grant or if your trees are over the age of 25, or both)

• chemically killing the infected larch trees, if advised by the Forestry Commission

• biosecurity items, to prevent the spread of pests and diseases

• rhododendron clearance

You cannot get a restocking or capital items grant as part of an individual application for larch trees with Phytophthora ramorum in this pilot. You can apply for these grants through the Countryside Stewardship woodland tree health grant.

Grants for groups will pay back the same costs as the grants for individuals and:

• felling, for infected larch trees where you cannot sell the timber or recover your costs from selling it (including for larch under the age of 25)

• restocking and capital items to replace the trees with different tree species that are more likely to withstand pests, diseases and climate change, including items to protect them (for example, fencing and netting)

• maintenance, if you’ve applied for a restocking grant. This is paid at the end of your agreement year for 3 years to help establish new trees

• facilitation fees, for someone to manage the application on behalf of the group

Grants for spruce with or at risk of eight-toothed spruce bark beetle

You can apply as an individual or a group for these grants. Grants apply to spruce with, or at risk of, eight-toothed spruce bark beetle in and outside of woodlands.

To apply, you’ll either:

• already have an infestation of eight-toothed spruce bark beetle (you’ll have an SPHN which confirms this)

• own or manage spruce trees or woodlands in an area at risk of infestation, known as the ‘demarcated area’ (you can check if your trees or woodlands are located in the demarcated area)

You can get these grants to pay back the costs of:

• felling trees (if you cannot sell the timber or recover your costs if you can sell it)

• infrastructure and access aids to improve access to your trees, for example, a temporary road surface so you can remove felled trees

• restocking and capital items to replace the trees with different tree species that are more likely to withstand pests, diseases and climate change, including items to protect them (for example, fencing and netting)

• maintenance, if you’ve applied for a restocking grant. This is paid at the end of your agreement year for 3 years to help establish new trees

• facilitation fees, for someone to manage the application for your group

Grants for sweet chestnut with Phytophthora ramorum or sweet chestnut blight

You can apply as an individual or as a group for these grants. Grants apply to sweet chestnut trees with Phytophthora ramorum or sweet chestnut blight in and outside of woodlands.

Sweet chestnut trees in woodlands

Individual grants will pay back the costs of:

• felling trees (if you cannot sell the timber or recover your costs if you can sell it)

• chemical killing of trees with Phytophthora ramorum, if advised by the Forestry Commission

• infrastructure and access aids to improve access to your trees - for example, a temporary road surface so you can remove felled trees

• biosecurity items to prevent the spread of pests and diseases

While you cannot get a restocking or capital items grant for individual applications as part of this pilot, you can apply for grants through the Countryside Stewardship woodland tree health grant.

Group grants will pay for everything that individual grants cover and:

• restocking and capital items to replace the trees with different tree species that are more likely to withstand pests, diseases and climate change, including items to protect them (for example, fencing and netting)

• maintenance, if you’ve applied for a restocking grant (it’s paid at the end of your agreement year for 3 years to help establish new trees)

Sweet chestnut trees outside of woodlands

You can apply for individual or group grants to pay back the costs of:

• felling trees (if you cannot sell the timber or recover your costs if you can sell it)

• chemical killing of trees with Phytophthora ramorum, if advised by the Forestry Commission

• infrastructure and access aids, to improve access to your trees, for example a temporary road surface so you can remove felled trees

• biosecurity items, to prevent the spread of pests and diseases

• restocking and capital items to replace the trees with different species that are more likely to withstand pests, diseases and climate change, including items to protect them (for example, fencing and netting)

• maintenance, if you’ve applied for a restocking grant (it’s paid at the end of your agreement year for 3 years to help establish new trees)

• facilitation fees, for someone to manage a group application

SPHN advice and support package for SPHN holders

The Tree Health Pilot SPHN advice and support package is a fixed, standard cost package of £475.00.

The Tree Health Pilot SPHN advice and support package includes:

• Funding for an agent consultation (x4 hours). The agent must meet the requirements as stipulated in the Tree Health Pilot scheme manual.

• Funding to complete a biosecurity management plan (included in cost of agent consultation)

• Biosecurity training (FC webinars)

• Funding to purchase a personal biosecurity kit, including the following items:

  1. Long-handled, stiff bristled brush

  2. Boot pick

  3. Container/bucket big enough to fit a boot in

  4. Cleankill (disinfectant)

  5. Water container (2-5 litres)

  6. FC signage for biosecurity