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Guidance

Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT)

Find out when and how to apply for CSHT funding and how to manage your agreement.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Rural Payments Agency
Published:
10 September 2025
Last updated:
21 July 2026
Show all updates

  1. We've added the process for expressing an interest in applying for 4 topics: woodland improvement, agroforestry, semi-rich grassland and scheduled monument management under CSHT. We've also updated the business viability test section for CSHT agreements with capital items to align with CS capital grants.

  2. Updated the mapping section of Annex D to include more details about the mapping you need to provide with your woodland improvement application. Added new capital item to Annex B: TE19: Tree guard (narrow weld mesh) | £35.67 per guard. Amended the titles of capital items TE7: Tree guard (large post and rail) and TE8: Tree guard (small post and rail and wide weld mesh).

  3. Added section 15.3 How to accept or reject an agreement offer to the CSHT agreement holder's guide.

  4. Added IW05 Shingle as a compatible land use code to action CSW12: Make room for the river to move.

  5. Removed supplemental actions CSP6: Cattle grazing supplement (non-moorland) and CSP7: Introduction of cattle grazing on the Isles of Scilly supplement from CWS2: Manage and restore plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) and CWS5: Improve woodland resilience supplement. Updated coastal compatible land use codes on coastal actions.

  6. For actions CSP16, CSP17, CSP18, CSP19: The native breeds at risk list was replaced by the native breeds support list on 1 April 2026. This change does not affect the eligibility of native breed livestock in existing CSHT agreements. 

  7. Added guidance about applying for CSHT actions affected by existing rotational SFI actions to section 3.1 Rotational actions in the CSHT applicants' guide. Before you can apply for CSHT you need to: • wait until the end of your SFI agreement year • make sure you have submitted your SFI rotational action declaration (RAD)

  8. Added: "You can only use the following actions above the moorland line when other CSHT moorland actions or supplements cannot achieve the intended environmental outcomes: * CLH1: Manage lowland heathland * CLH2: Restore lowland heathland * CLH3: Create lowland heathland * CWT13: Manage and restore fen, reedbed and wetland mosaics * CWT14: Create fen, reedbed or wetland mosaics"

  9. Added to CSP2: Rewetting supplemental action in the 'Find funding for land or farms' tool and print version of actions. A Natural England adviser will review the effectiveness of CSP2 towards the end of its 5-year duration and decide if it can continue for a further 5 years. They may visit the site or request evidence, such as photographs, proof of ongoing costs or water level readings.

  10. Added: SFI action CSAM1: Assess soil, produce a soil management plan and test soil organic matter is compatible with CSHT actions CHS2, CHS5, CHS6 and CCT10. Added: CSHT supplement CWS5: Improve woodland resilience supplement is compatible with CSHT supplements: CWS7, CWS9, CWS10 and CWS11.

  11. Correction: You can do SFI action WBD2: Manage ditches (not WBD10) on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into CSHT base actions.

  12. Added more information to section 14: business viability test for CSHT agreements with capital items.

  13. You can use the following supplemental actions with CSP12: Rhododendron control and management supplement: - CWS2: Manage and restore plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) supplement - CWS5: Improve woodland resilience supplement - CWS8: Manage native woodland including ancient semi-natural woodlands (ASNW) supplement - CWS9: Manage woodlands for flood and drought mitigation supplement

  14. Added more details to section 16.2 of the agreement holder's guide on how to claim for a capital item in your CSHT agreement.

  15. Added CSW25 as a compatible action with CWD2. Removed CWS2 and CWS5 from CSP6 - these are not compatible supplements with CSP6.

  16. Payment rates to capital items in Annex B changed on 5 January 2026: TE7: Tree guard (wood post and rail) now £121.62 per guard TE8: Tree guard (wood post and wire) now £74.74 per guard

  17. Section 13.7 'Permission to change uncultivated, semi-natural and rural land' of the 'CSHT applicant's guide' has been updated. We have added detail to the description of semi-natural areas.

  18. Correction: For action CCT8: 'WF03 Pond' is an eligible land use code, not 'NF03 Scattered scrub' and 'WO25 Scrub'. For action CCT10: 'NF03 Scattered scrub' and 'WO25 Scrub' are eligible land use codes, not 'WF03 Pond'.

  19. Updated section 11.5 in the CSHT applicant's guide – added 3rd bullet to make it clear that land use area needs to be the same as the land cover area. Updated section 5 of the CSHT checklist – added prompts 4 and 5 about land use and land cover being compatible. Updated the CSHT actions (print version) – added eligible land use codes to 3 actions: * action CGS22 – added WO25 Scrub, * action CCT10 – added WF03 Pond, * action CCT8 – added NF03 Scattered scrub and WO25 Scrub.

  20. Added link to guidance on Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) actions affected by Lump Sum Exit Scheme payments in section 6.1 of the CSHT applicant's guide.

  21. In the applicant's guide, Section 7.2.1: 'Management control if you are a landlord' - the landlord no longer needs to provide the tenant with the requirements of actions or capital items in writing.

  22. Have added guidance on how to check your land use is correct under section 11.5 of the 'CSHT applicant's guide'.

  23. Section '13.3. SSSI consent' of the 'CSHT applicant's guide' has been updated to make the process clearer. For CSHT actions or capital items on land that’s an SSSI, you will need SSSI consent. If needed, you must give notice to get consent if the RPA offers you a CSHT agreement and you accept it.

  24. Removed an extra comma in the CSHT applicant's guide - HTML attachment

  25. First published.

Applies to England

Documents

CSHT applicant's guide

Ref: v1.0

HTML

Express an interest in CSHT

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/express-interest-in-countryside-stewardship-higher-tier

CSHT application checklist

HTML

Select CSHT actions

Ref: Find funding for land or farms tool

https://www.gov.uk/find-funding-for-land-or-farms

CSHT actions (print version)

Ref: v1.0

HTML

CSHT agreement holder's guide

Ref: v1.0

HTML

CSHT agreement terms and conditions

Ref: v1.0

HTML

Details

Your CSHT agreement comprises:

  • CSHT applicant’s guide
  • CSHT agreement holder’s guide
  • CSHT terms and conditions
  • your agreement document that includes your selected CSHT actions and capital items

Read the applicant’s guide to understand when you can express an interest in applying for CSHT, prepare a CSHT application, get pre-application advice and apply.

Use the application checklist to make sure you’ve followed all steps in the application process.

Select CSHT actions using the Find funding for land or farms tool.

Read the agreement holder’s guide to understand how to manage your agreement.

Read the terms and conditions that you will need to comply with under the scheme.

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