Tree planting and woodland creation: overview
Find information and support on woodland creation in England, including funding to create woodland, legal requirements and best practice for sustainability.
Applies to England
Trees have far-reaching benefits for you, your land, the environment and for future generations. By planting trees to the UK Forest Standard (UKFS) coupled with financial support and expert advice, woodlands can help you generate reliable income streams and deliver environmental benefits that support your wider land management goals.
Read our joint statement with Natural England on our position on woodland creation.
Funding and help to plan a woodland creation project
If you’re planning to create woodland in England you may be eligible for a Forestry Commission grant, such as the Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG).
We can give you advice and guidance on the legal regulations you’ll need to follow and how to establish your woodland sustainably.
Grants may also be available for planting trees outside of woodland.
Planning a woodland creation project
We can help you develop the documents you’ll need to plan a woodland creation project.
Landscape and woodland design
For new woodlands in England, you need to carefully design the site to fit within the landscape and accommodate features of interest. Use the guide landscape and woodland design for woodland creation to plan the design of your new woodland.
To get regulatory approval and grant funding for your project, your woodland creation design plan must comply with the UKFS.
You need to develop a written plan supported by a:
- landscape context plan
- site appraisal plan
- design concept plan
- final woodland creation design plan
See what these plans need to show, and examples, in our guide to planning new woodland in England.
Read about the forest design process:
Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG)
The WCPG can help cover the costs of producing a UKFS compliant woodland creation design plan.
You can apply for up to £150 per hectare, plus a 70% contribution to any specialist surveys that are needed, capped at £30,000 per project.
WCPG is for planning only and does not provide approval to plant. Proposals with a woodland creation design plan that are approved for payment through WCPG are still subject to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations.
Find out if you’re eligible for the Woodland Creation Planning Grant and how to apply.
Funding and grants for woodland creation
You may be eligible for funding and grants to create woodland or plant trees.
We offer funding schemes for woodland creation and tree planting, planning, maintenance, and tree health in England.
England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO)
Landowners, land managers and public bodies can receive over £10,000 per hectare to create new woodland on areas as small as one hectare.
Find out more about the England Woodland Creation Offer and how to apply.
Funding and grants for non-woodland trees
Local Authority Treescapes Fund
Available to local authorities to support planting and growing trees in non-woodland areas, such as urban or rural settings.
Find out more about the Local Authority Treescapes Fund.
Urban Tree Challenge Fund
The fund provides 50% of published standard costs for planting and establishment of trees in urban or peri-urban areas, especially in areas of low canopy cover and high social deprivation.
Find out more about the Urban Tree Challenge Fund.
Get income from selling carbon
If your project is not cost-effective with a woodland creation grant alone, you might be able to earn further income by selling carbon credits from your project.
You need to register with the Woodland Carbon Code within 2 years from the start of planting.
Validation/verification to this standard provides assurance of the carbon savings and access to the voluntary carbon market.
Find out more about the Woodland Carbon Code scheme for buyers and landowners.
Read more about the benefits of woodland creation woods and carbon and how woodland creation can help tackle climate change.
Woodland Carbon Guarantee
The Woodland Carbon Guarantee provides the option to sell your captured carbon in the form of verified carbon credits (Woodland Carbon Units) to the government for a guaranteed price.
You must first be registered with the Woodland Carbon Code to be eligible, and planting must not have happened yet.
We run several auctions per year for Woodland Carbon Guarantee funding. Only those who have already applied are able to take part in future auctions.
Other funding opportunities
Funding from our partners
We work with a number of partners who offer woodland creation opportunities to help provide an option to suit everyone.
Tree planting and woodland creation: funding and advice shows all available grants and incentives, including those from other organisations. These include the Woodland Creation Partnership, Forestry England and England’s Community Forests.
Protect, Improve, Expand, Sustain (PIES) offer
You may be eligible to receive 3 days of fully-funded advice from an expert. They can provide vital information to support you in taking the next steps in managing existing woodland and/or creating new wooded areas on your property. The offer is provided by a consortium of partners under the Defra-funded PIES project.
Find out more about the PIES offer and how to apply.
Tax planning
The Conditional Exemption Tax Incentive Scheme was set up to preserve and protect national heritage. This includes woodland.
Find out if you can get relief from Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax.
When to apply for an Environmental Impact Assessment
The EIA process has 2 stages. Most projects only need to complete the first stage.
If you want to create new woodland without grant support from us, you may need to apply for a ‘stage 1’ forestry Environmental Impact Assessment. This is dependent on the size and location of the proposed project.
If your proposal has been approved for a Woodland Creation Planning Grant, you can submit the plan with your ‘stage 1’ EIA application. You don’t need to complete all sections of the application form.
If you’re applying to us for funding, for example, through the England Woodland Creation Offer, there is no need to apply for an EIA. Your grant application is sufficient for us to complete the EIA process. This is providing you have included all the required information in your application.
If you have completed the Woodland Creation Planning Grant for your proposal, your approved woodland creation design plan will be used for the EIA process. So you won’t need to complete all of the England Woodland Creation Offer application form.
Find out more about when to apply for an EIA.
Guides and case studies
Creating and managing riparian woodland provides advice on creating, designing and managing riparian woodland to protect and enhance riparian and aquatic habitats. This guide is in line with UK Forestry Standard requirements and Guidelines on Forests and Water.
Plant your future: The case for trees outlines the benefits that trees can bring to your land and the financial and expert support available.
Guide for planning new woodland in England shows the necessary steps of planning, designing and creating new woodland to help you create a comprehensive plan that will make your woodland sustainable and UKFS compliant.
Plant your future: top 5 reasons to plant woodland details the benefits that trees add to your land, your local community, the environment and future generations.
How woodland creation can benefit your farm outlines the financial incentives and expert support available. Learn how woodland creation can help you diversify and generate reliable revenue streams.
The benefits of woodland creation: woods and water explains the benefits that tree planting and woodland creation bring to water management and water quality.
The benefits of woodland creation: woods for nature explains how woodland creation can help biodiversity.
Case studies
Hear from those who have already completed successful woodland creation projects on their land. Read our tree planting and woodland creation case studies.
See what funding schemes might be right for you in our woodland grants and incentives overview table.
Creating sustainable woodlands
UKFS
Read the UK Forestry Standard. This is the reference standard for sustainable forest management across the UK.
The UKFS applies to all UK woodland and explains the international agreements and conventions that apply to sustainable forest management to address climate change, help biodiversity and protect soil and water resources. It covers all forestry activities in the UK and sets out the legal requirements and best practice standards for owners of woodland.
Sustainability best practice
When designing new woodlands, use the Forest Research tool Ecological Site Classification Decision Support System (ESC-DSS). This will help you select species ecologically suited to your site.
You should also consider how tree species suitability is likely to change in the future. Read more about tree species and resilience to climate change.
It is important the plants and trees you use are free from pests and diseases.
Where possible, get your plants from nurseries with clear plant health management standards in place including, for example, nurseries with Plant Healthy certification or similar.
Read more about preventing the spread of tree pests and diseases.
Habitats and species protection
You need to consider habitats and species already present on the land when planning a new woodland.
Find out more about:
- managing and protecting woodland wildlife
- how to benefit species and habitats biodiversity in your woodland
- creating and managing riparian woodland
You must also plan how best to protect the trees that you plant.
Find out more about:
Contact us
Find out more about creating woodland on your land. Contact your local Forestry Commission woodland creation team.
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Updates to this page
Last updated 15 October 2024 + show all updates
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Added a link to 'creating and managing riparian woodland'.
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Added a link to the joint statement with Natural England on our position on woodland creation.
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Additional link included to the Forestry Commission newsletter.
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Updated to include a link to the new landscape and woodland design for woodland creation guide.
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Added: leaflet 'The benefits of woodland creation: Woods for Nature'
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Updated contact details for woodland creation teams.
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Addition of Woods and Carbon factsheet.
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Updated 'How trees benefit your farm business' leaflet (changes: a new maintenance payment rate for EWCO and removed a CS grant which is no longer open).
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Addition of guide on 'the benefits of woodland creation: woodad and water'.
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"It's time to branch out: How woodland creation benefits your farm" and "Plant your future: Top 5 reasons to plant woodland" added to the page.
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Removing Countryside Stewardship Woodland Creation and Maintenance grant which is now closed for applications.
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Woodland Carbon Code leaflet added to the page.
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Added Plant your future: The case for trees leaflet.
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Removed information about woodland management.
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Added to the page: A guide to planning new woodland in England
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"How trees benefit your farm business" leaflet updated.
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First published.