Guidance

Applicant's guide: Woodland Management Plan grants from 9 February 2021

Published 31 March 2021

Applies to England

1 Introduction

The Woodland Management Plan grant is part of Countryside Stewardship. It’s a capital grant for farmers and land managers to produce a woodland management plan.

This manual applies to Woodland Management Plan applications received from 9 February 2021. It explains what you need to do to apply for a Woodland Management Plan grant and any additional requirements and processes which you must follow.

Agricultural Transition

We will continue to offer Countryside Stewardship agreements in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Countryside Stewardship will eventually be replaced with the new Environmental Land Management scheme. This will follow trialing and testing and a national pilot involving farmers and land managers. The full Environmental Land Management scheme will be in place from 2024.

Applications for Countryside Stewardship agreements which start on or after 1 January 2021 are made under domestic legislation.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

You can read the latest information for farmers, landowners and rural businesses during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on GOV.UK.

The Countryside Stewardship scheme

Important information

Woodland support grants are provided under domestic legislation.

You may need to keep evidence and provide it when requested. Check Countryside Stewardship grants for the evidence and record-keeping requirements of grants before you apply for them.

Countryside Stewardship priorities

The main priority for Countryside Stewardship is to protect and enhance the natural environment, in particular:

• increased biodiversity, improved habitat and expanded woodland areas

• improved water quality

• improved air quality

Other outcomes supported are:

• protection against flooding and coastal erosion

• maintaining the historic environment

• improved landscape character

• climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Other schemes

Countryside Stewardship (CS) gives incentives for land managers to look after their environment and is made up of the following elements:

• Higher Tier agreements for land that requires more complex management tailored to the individual site

• Mid Tier agreements that provide a range of options and capital items that together help to deliver a broad range of environmental benefits

• The 4 Wildlife Offers provide a simpler set of options to help improve the wildlife on farms

• The Capital Grant offer provides grants for boundaries, trees and orchards; water quality and air quality.

• The Woodland Creation and Maintenance grant supports new woodland and its longer-term maintenance

• The Woodland Tree Health grant to help restore and improve tree health

• The Facilitation Fund to support individuals and organisations working with local groups of farmers and land managers, and co-ordinate their environmental land management.

The Woodland Management Plan grant is designed to help create a UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) compliant 10 year woodland management plan

Woodland Tree Health and Woodland Management Plan grants are not competitive.

If you are eligible for the grant and there is sufficient budget, RPA (supported by a Forestry Commission Woodland Officer for woodland grants) will approve your application.

1.1 Woodland Management Plan manual

This manual explains what you need to do to apply for a Woodland Management Plan grant and any additional requirements and processes which you must follow.

For information about the other elements of Countryside Stewardship read Countryside Stewardship: How to apply.

1.1.1 Countryside Stewardship Woodland Management Plan Agreement

A Woodland Management Plan agreement comprises of:

1. the Countryside Stewardship Terms and Conditions

2. an Agreement Document (which sets out Agreement Holder specific details)

3. the supplementary documents referred to in the Agreement Document.

1.1.2 Mandatory parts of the Woodland Management Plan manual

The Terms and Conditions refer to the mandatory elements of this manual that Agreement Holders must comply with.

The mandatory elements of this manual are:

• Section 3: Who can apply and what land is eligible

• Section 5: Scheme requirements, procedures and agreement management

1.2 More information

Read the Countryside Stewardship: How to apply page and the Countryside Stewardship forms page for more information specific to woodland support and the following grants:

• Woodland Creation

• Woodland Tree Health

1.3 Fraud

Fraudsters may target farmers who receive subsidy payments and we’re aware that in the past some customers have received emails, texts and telephone calls claiming to be from RPA or Defra. Links to a fake website designed to look like an authentic RPA or Defra online service are sometimes included in the message. We do not send emails or text messages with links to websites asking you to confirm your personal details or payment information. If you receive such a request, we strongly advise that you do not open the link and delete the email or text message.

Remember:

• never discuss your bank account details with someone you do not know

• we will not ask you to make a payment over the phone

• delete any emails or texts you do not believe are genuine, and do not open any links – our main email addresses are:

• ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk

• rpa@notifications.service.gov.uk

• be cautious about what information you share externally, particularly on social media.

If you suspect an attempted fraud or feel you have been the subject of fraud, you can contact:

• RPA’s Fraud Referral Team on 0800 347 347 or FraudInConfidence@rpa.gov.uk

Action Fraud (the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber-crime) on 0300 123 2040.

2 How it works

This section provides information about the main elements of the CS Woodland Management Plan (WMP) grant.

The CS WMP grant is a capital grant under which you can apply for a one-off payment to create a UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) compliant 10 year woodland management plan.

You must have a binding CS agreement (which means you’ve applied, been offered and accepted an agreement) before you can start work on your WMP.

Acronym	Explanation
RPA	Rural Payments Agency – administers scheme, processes applications and offers grant agreements and pays claims
FCWO	Forestry Commission Woodland Officer – works with the applicant or their agent to develop a WMP that complies with the UK Forestry Standard and approves it
FC Admin Hub	Forestry Commission Admin Hub – processes any felling licence associated with the Woodland Management Plan once the plan has been approved
UKFS	UK Forestry Standard – The standard for sustainable forest management in the UK. The WMP must meet the relevant requirements and guidelines in the Standard to be approved

2.1 Woodland Management Plan (WMP) application process (through capital item PA3)

The list below shows the process from applying to claiming payment:

1. Applicant wants to manage their woodland so talks to Forestry Commission (FC)

2. Applicant (or agent) registers the woodland on the Rural Payments service

3. Applicant (or agent) submits WMP application (online/paper) to RPA (with WMP annex and maps)

4. If the applicant is eligible, RPA offer a grant agreement

5. Applicant accepts the grant agreement offer

6. Applicant (or agent) talks to FC Woodland Officer, produces a draft WMP and submits to FC Admin Hub for a Woodland Officer to check it meets with the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS)

7. The draft WMP is either approved in principle or reasons given why it fails to meet the UKFS. Aim for a maximum of 2 iterations of the WMP

8. Any felling proposals included in the draft WMP are placed on the Public Register and any statutory consultation is undertaken by the Forestry Commission

9. Felling licence approved and WMP is approved by the Forestry Commission

10. Applicant (or their agent) submits a claim to RPA which is then paid

You can apply for a WMP grant using the Countryside Stewardship capital item PA3. You can read about PA3 at PA3: Woodland management plan.

The WMP must cover all woodland on your holding (read section 4.3 for more information) and you must use the Forestry Commission WMP template to create it.

2.2 What are Woodland Management Plans?

Your WMP must set out the management intentions for your woodland for at least 10 years. It must also be fully compliant with the UK Forestry Standard. Read Create a woodland management plan to find technical guidance on the production and content of a WMP.

Your plan must be approved by the Forestry Commission before you can apply for support under the Higher Tier element of Countryside Stewardship. You can find more information on this in section 4.7.

2.3 When to apply

You can submit an application at any time. The grant is available throughout the year subject to sufficient budget. Read section 4.4 for information on how to submit an application.

If you are writing a WMP with grant funding, you need to have your grant agreement in place before you start work on your plan.

If you accept an agreement we’ve offered you, you will then need to produce a draft WMP. The standards and procedures the plan must follow are set out in Create a woodland management plan.

2.4 Scoring

Grant applications for the creation of WMPs are not competitive so we do not score applications. As long as you are eligible to apply for this grant (read section 3) and subject to the budget approval, we will offer you an agreement.

2.5 Payment rates

The payment rates for the capital item WMP (PA3) are shown in the following table. The payment rates and conditions help to make sure that the plans we approve provide value for money.

Total are of woodland	Payment
3 – 50 hectares	Flat rate of £1,000
51 – 100 hectares	Flat rate of £1,000 for the first 50 hectares, plus £20 per additional hectare up to and including 100 hectares
Over 100 hectares	Flat rate of £2,000, plus £10 per additional hectare over 100 hectares

We calculate the amount to be paid using the entire eligible area of woodland on the holding. This can include a maximum of 20% newly planted woodland (this is woodland that is under 10 years old at the time of application). However, the WMP must cover all the woodland on the holding (including all newly planted woodland) even if this is more than 20% of the total woodland on the holding.

You cannot usually apply for payment for a WMP on land which already has an approved WMP.

If your land already has an approved WMP but a change in circumstances means a new one needs to be written, contact your Forestry Commission area office and talk to a Woodland Officer about whether you are eligible. You can find contact details and Office access and opening times on the Forestry Commission website.

2.6 Agreement duration

Once you accept an agreement, you have 2 years from the start of the agreement to create the WMP and get approval (including any associated felling approval) from the Forestry Commission. You then have a further 3 months to submit your payment claim.

For example, if your agreement starts on 1 June 2021, the end date of the agreement would be 31 May 2023. Your plan would need to be complete and approved by then. You would then have until 31 August 2023 to submit your payment claim.

We recommend that you send your draft WMP to the Forestry Commission within the first year of your agreement. If they receive your WMP after this time, they cannot guarantee that they will approve it within the 2 year period. You’ll get more information about this in the agreement offer letter.

The 2 year duration of your agreement is for the submission and approval of a WMP. It is not for the duration of the work detailed in the WMP itself.

2.7 Payment claims

You must claim payment for your WMP in a single claim, once your WMP has been approved by the Forestry Commission, and within 3 months following the agreement end date. You can find more information on payment claims in section 5.

2.8 What the grant cannot pay for

The WMP grant cannot be used to pay for the cost of any of the following:

• planning application fees or other transactional fees meeting legal requirements, including planning conditions.

3 Who can apply and what land is eligible

You must read and meet the requirements detailed in this section as these are mandatory for all Countryside Stewardship Woodland Management Plan (WMP) agreement holders.

The CS WMP grant is open to land managers who are either:

• an owner occupier

• a tenant

• a landlord

• a licensor.

3.1 Eligible land

3.1.1 What land you can enter into the scheme

To be eligible for the scheme:

• The land must be woodland. Woodland is defined as an area of land that:

• is at least 0.5 hectares

• has an average width of at least 20 metres

• is under groups/lines of trees that are, or will reach, at least 5 metres in height

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

• The woodland must be larger than 3 hectares in total, within a minimum woodland block size of 0.5 hectares.

• All woodland on your holding must be included in the WMP (see section 4.3)

• The area of eligible internal open space shall be limited to 20% of the total woodland area (in limited and exceptional cases this may be increased to 30%). Open space may include forest tracks, rides, wayleaves and other permanent open areas but should be managed as part of the woodland environment.

You cannot claim payment for WMP (capital item PA3) on land which is used to claim Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), but you can include it in the WMP.

For example, you can include an area of short rotation coppice that is used to claim for BPS in your WMP, but cannot include the area in your WMP grant payment claim.

However, under the allowance for including up to 20% newly planted woodland in the WMP agreement, we will accept any land that you are using to claim for BPS and that is also:

• within the durability period under Countryside Stewardship Woodland Creation (5 years following the agreement end date), or

• that is currently in a Woodland Creation Maintenance grant agreement (10 years), or

• that is currently under an English Woodland Grant Scheme - Farm Woodland Payment (FWP) or Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS) agreement.

3.1.2 Ineligible land

The following land is not eligible for the scheme:

• land that does not meet the definition of a woodland, as set out in section 3.1.1

• developed land and hard standing (including permanent caravan sites and areas used for permanent storage)

• land that is already part of another obligation which is incompatible with Countryside Stewardship, for example woodland that is already under an obligation to have a written management plan, for example due to a planning consent

• any land parcels which are not entirely within England. Parcels that are either partly or entirely within Scotland or Wales are not eligible for Countryside Stewardship

• land where you do not have management control for the period of the agreement and you are not able to have an application countersigned by the landowner (read section 3.2).

3.2 Management control: eligibility and scheme rules

You must have control of the land and all activities needed to meet the requirements of the capital items selected for the full period of the agreement (2 years).

If you do not, you must get the written consent of all other parties who have management control of the land and activities for the entire period of the capital agreement.

3.2.1 Tenants

If you are a tenant applying for an agreement in your own name, you must have:

• control of all the activities needed to meet the scheme requirements for the chosen Countryside Stewardship multi-year and capital items

• management control of all the agreement land for the duration of any commitments (which may extend beyond the agreement period)

• security of tenure for the full period of the agreement.

If this is not possible, you must get your landlord to countersign your application. If you are not able to do this, you cannot include that particular area of land in your application.

You must have the agreement of your landlord or the landowner before you apply. If you are a tenant, including under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986, the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 (a Farm Business Tenancy) or equivalent, it is your responsibility to check that you do not breach the terms of your tenancy by joining Countryside Stewardship.

If the landlord takes over a Countryside Stewardship agreement from you once your tenancy has ended, they must be eligible to do so. For example, they must not be an ineligible public body.

3.2.2 Landlords

If you are a landlord and can show that you keep management control over the land and activities, you can apply for an agreement on land you have let to a tenant.

Dual use, where the applicant for this grant is different to the applicant for BPS on the same land, is possible under this grant. You can claim for PA3 on land that is subject to BPS, that is, areas of young woodland which are still being used to claim BPS and which are within the 20% allowance. The applicant must still show they have management control over the land.

For more information read Guidance on woodland grant schemes and BPS: operations note 42.

As the agreement holder, you must give your tenant a copy of the Countryside Stewardship agreement. We may ask you to provide evidence to show that you have done this. It is your responsibility to make sure that your tenant does not breach the terms of the agreement.

3.2.3 Partnerships

If you are in a business partnership, you can apply for Countryside Stewardship. The person submitting the application must have the appropriate permission levels in the Rural Payments service.

3.2.4 Licensors

If you are a licensor, you can apply for a Countryside Stewardship agreement. It is your responsibility to make sure that the licensee does not breach the terms of the Countryside Stewardship agreement.

You must make sure that the licensee is aware of the requirements of the agreement, as relevant to the licence, and include these in the licence agreement.

3.2.5 Licensees

Licensees cannot usually apply for a Countryside Stewardship agreement as they are unlikely to have sufficient management control of the land. However, if you are a licensee, you may be eligible to apply if, in practice, your agreement with the landowner gives you wider land management responsibilities.

3.2.6 Land owned by public bodies

Land owned or run by a public body is in general not eligible for Countryside Stewardship. If you are a tenant of a public body, you will need to check with your landlord if the land is eligible for Countryside Stewardship.

Countryside Stewardship cannot pay for any environmental management that is already required through:

• payment from EU and Exchequer funds

• grant aid from any other public body

• any other form of legally binding obligation including tenancies.

This means that Crown bodies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are not eligible for the scheme. This includes those that are Trading Funds or those that do not receive funding direct from the Exchequer.

Crown bodies include all government departments and their executive agencies, for example:

• Ministry of Defence

• Forestry Commission.

NDPBs are public bodies that have a role in the processes of national government but are not a government department, and are not part of one. These include:

• Environment Agency

• Natural England

• Historic England

• National Forest Company.

Parish councils and former college farms are not considered to be public bodies and so are eligible to apply for Countryside Stewardship.

The following table provides more detailed eligibility requirements for public bodies:

Body/Organisation	Eligibility	Notes
Government departments, executive agencies and NDPBs (for example, Ministry of Defence, Forestry Commission)	Ineligible	Not applicable
Other public bodies (for example, local authorities, National Park authorities and public corporations)	Eligible	Provided the work does not form part of their obligations as a public body.
Parish Councils and former college farms	Eligible	Not applicable
Tenants of eligible public bodies	Eligible	Ineligible where the work is already a requirement of the tenancy agreement. The public body must countersign the application if the tenant does not have security of tenure
Tenants of ineligible public bodies	Eligible	Ineligible where the work is already a requirement of the tenancy agreement. Tenants must have security of tenure for the full term of the agreement, including the durability requirement, as the public body cannot countersign the application.

3.3 Land receiving other funding

You cannot combine the WMP grant with other sources of public funding to provide the same plan on the same land. You cannot use the grant to produce a WMP which you are required to carry out under other agreements, for example work which is already a requirement of a tenancy agreement or other grant schemes such as:

• Environmental Stewardship

• Other grants within Countryside Stewardship

• English Woodland Grant Scheme

• Farming Recovery Fund

• Heritage Lottery Fund

• Inheritance Tax Exemption.

You must make sure that any work proposed for this grant does not breach the conditions of any other agreement. We will carry out checks to make sure that capital works are not funded twice from public money.

4 How to apply

This section gives the information you need to apply for support to create a Woodland Management Plan through Countryside Stewardship.

4.1 Register with Rural Payments service

You must be registered in the Rural Payments service before you can apply for a CS agreement. When you’re registered you will receive a Customer Registration Number (CRN) and a Single Business Identifier (SBI). Agents applying for you must also be registered in the Rural Payments service and you must give them the appropriate permission levels in the service.

You must make sure that all the land parcels listed on your application are registered in the Rural Payments service, and have a parcel reference number (in the format AA1234 5678). You will be asked to provide your parcel reference numbers when you apply. To register land, you must complete a Rural Land and Entitlements (RLE1) form and provide annotated maps to clearly show where the land parcels are on your holding and send this to RPA. You can read more information about registering and updating your details at Rural Payments service: registering and updating your details.

4.2 Getting consent

You do not need to provide any consent when you make your WMP grant application.

However, if the work proposed affects certain designated sites (such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) or Scheduled Monuments (SM) we may need to see your consents before we can approve your WMP. Read Create a woodland management plan for more information.

4.3 Make sure the proposed Woodland Management Plan covers all woodland on the holding

You should include all woodland on your holding when you apply for a WMP grant. However, if your business manages a number of woodlands in different locations, it may not be appropriate to produce a single WMP that covers all of them. In this situation you can apply to create a plan that covers part of your holding. The Forestry Commission will provide technical advice that will help to decide what forms a holding in a given case. Read section 3.1 for more information.

4.4 Submitting an application

There are 2 ways that you can submit a WMP application:

• online using the Rural Payments service

• using the Woodland Management Plan form, available to download from GOV.UK.

If you are unable to get online, you can also request a copy of the application form.

You must not submit a draft WMP with your CS application. You can only start work on producing the draft WMP once you have signed the agreement (returned it to us, accepting the offer) and the agreement start date has passed.

If you are eligible and we offer you an agreement, you will need to follow the Countryside Stewardship Terms and Conditions.

4.4.1 Online application

You can apply for a WMP grant online. You can do this through the Rural Payments service. The service already includes the following information, so you do not need to re-enter these details, but you should check them to make sure the information is up to date:

• your personal details of the applicant (name, address, and so on)

• your CRN and SBI

• the land parcels registered to the SBI.

You will need to answer initial eligibility questions and select the land parcels that you would like to include in your WMP application. You will also need to enter the total area of the woodland that needs support.

You then select ‘submit’ - which is the same as signing an application form. After submitting your application, download the covering letter from your online account and follow the instructions which tell you how to submit the supporting information needed.

Supporting information

You must send us the following documents to support your online application before we will consider it. If you email them to us, as long as they are sent by someone with the correct permission levels (and an email address that is registered on the Rural Payments service for that person) you do not need to print the relevant section(s) and form(s), sign and scan the documents back into your computer. Title your email ‘Countryside Stewardship, document type, year, SBI number’, for example Countryside Stewardship, Woodland Management Plan grant application, 2021, [SBI].

• a WMP Annex. If you are applying online you do not need to fill in the land summary tab in the WMP Annex, as you will have already selected your land parcels as part of the online application.

• a map of the land to be included in the application, this must meet the minimum mapping standards outlined in section 4.4.3.

We must receive any supporting documents within 30 days of the date of the cover letter. If we do not, we will reject your application.

For more information read How to apply online for a Woodland Management Plan Grant and there is a Help link on each screen of the Woodland Management Plan application in the Rural Payments service.

4.4.2 By email or post

If you cannot apply online, you can use a paper application form and send it to us by email or post. You must download one and fill it in, then send it by email or post to RPA. If you choose to email it to us, as long as the application form is sent by someone with the correct permission levels (and an email address that is registered in the Rural Payments service for that person) you do not need to print the relevant section(s) and form(s), sign and scan the documents back into your computer. Title your email ‘Countryside Stewardship, document type, year, SBI number’, for example Countryside Stewardship, Woodland Management Plan grant application, 2021, (SBI).

If you cannot download the application form, please contact us.

A complete WMP grant application is made up of the following documents:

• The Countryside Stewardship Capital Grant Application form

• The WMP Annex (incorporating all information required to apply for the WMP)

• An application map, created according to the standards set out in section 4.4.3.

Send your email, remembering to attach all application documents to us. Put ‘CS Woodland Management Plan Grant – SBI’ as the email subject, for example. ‘CS Woodland Management Plan Grant – 123456789.

If you cannot email your application, you can post it to us (check Annex 2 for address details). We recommended that you get proof of postage for any applications or any other documents you send to us by post.

It’s a good idea to keep a copy of your completed application form. Either a paper copy or an electronic version of your WMP Annex so that you have a self-calculating version of this document.

4.4.3 Prepare a map to accompany your application

You must provide a map (or maps) showing the full area of the woodland you are including in your proposed WMP and send this with your WMP grant application. The map needs to be clear, readable and meet the standards set out below.

How to create a map

You can create the map associated with a WMP application yourself, as long as it meets the standards set out below, or you can request one through the Forestry Commission map request service.

Maps you supply should be based on OS maps and/or Geographical Information System (GIS) generated digital maps. Maps must be based on a scale of 1:2500 or 1:5000 or for large schemes 1:10000. If you are using a GIS based map at a non-standard scale, add a scale bar to the map so that this can be used to measure lengths. Please use black ink when you write on the Agreement Map. If you make a mistake strike through it. Do not use correction fluid on your map.

You should mark the land parcel references and the SBI clearly on the map.

If you’re sending your supporting documents to us by email, send us your map as a PDF file.

Minimum mapping standards

If you create your own agreement map, or are marking up a map you’ve received from the Forestry Commission map request service, you must make sure they meet the following rules:

• the map (or maps) must show whole land parcels with land parcel references and a clear boundary for the extent of the WMP

• the map should have a number (1, 2, 3, and so on). Include this map number and also the total number of maps for example, 1 of 3

• write your Single Business Identifier (SBI) – consisting of 9 digits, the application year and agreement title (as detailed on the application form) on the top right of the map

• write the name of business or applicant – this should be the name (beneficiary) that is registered with us for the SBI, on the right hand side of the map

• if there are no numbered OS grid lines write a 6 figure OS grid reference for the centre of the map on the bottom left of the map

• if you make a mistake strike through it. Do not use correction fluid on your map.

4.4.4 Business viability test

For applications including capital expenditure of over £50,000, you must submit a statement from a chartered accountant. This is to confirm that the business or SBI has the resources from trading profits, reserves or loans to undertake the work in the proposed agreement schedule.

Where confirmation from an accountant is needed, the accountant will need to provide a letter on headed paper which confirms at least the following:

• they are a chartered accountant

• they act as the accountant for the applicant

• they can confirm that you as the applicant have sufficient finances to complete the capital works in your application and how these funds will be sourced, (for example, savings, loan and so on)

• their understanding of the total value of the capital works in the application.

4.5 Authorise an agent

You can authorise an agent to fill in and submit your application and payment claim forms for you.

For an agent to act for you they must be registered in the Rural Payments service and you must give them the appropriate permission levels. You can do this in the Rural Payments service. You need to do this even if you have already filled in a paper agent authorisation form allowing the agent to act on your behalf.

4.6 After applying

4.6.1 Missing information and rejection

Once we receive your application we will carry out a number of checks on it and will contact you if there is any missing information. You must send us the missing information we ask for within the timescales we give you. If you do not we may reject your application.

If this happens, you would then need to resubmit your application, making sure you provide all the information we need and that you meet all of the eligibility requirements. You must not start to create a WMP until you have an agreement.

4.6.2 Eligible applicants being offered an agreement/agreement acceptance

If you apply online (outlined in section 4.4.1), you will only be able to submit your application if you have met all of the eligibility requirements. The Rural Payments service will reject your application immediately if it fails any of the eligibility requirements. The service gives onscreen feedback to explain why this has happened. If this happens, you can edit and resubmit your application.

If you apply using a paper form (outlined in section 4.4.2), we will need to manually carry out eligibility checks. We will contact you if you fail any of the checks and explain how you can correct them. You can find more information about this at section 4.6.1.

If you are eligible, we will send you an agreement offer by post. You must accept or decline the offer signing and dating the declaration and returning it to us. You can ask us for an acknowledgement that we have received your signed agreement. You cannot modify, extend or amend the WMP agreement.

The agreement start date will be shown on your agreement and is usually the first day of the month after you receive your agreement offer.

4.6.3 Creating a draft Woodland Management Plan

You can start work creating a WMP after the agreement start date. You must follow the technical guidance outlined in ‘Create a woodland management plan’ and submit the WMP to the Forestry Commission (read Annex 2 for details).

You can find information on biodiversity and woodland management intended to benefit rare and declining woodland wildlife in the Woodland Wildlife Toolkit.

Do not send your draft WMP to RPA. You must send it to the Forestry Commission.

The maximum size of emails that we can accept is 32MB. When you send your application by email make sure it’s not over this limit. If it is over the limit, you will need to split the information and send more than one email, each less than 32MB. For security reasons, we cannot accept discs, USB pen drives or other external storage media.

A FCWO will contact you and help you to develop the plan for final approval. The final WMP (including any associated felling permissions) needs to be approved by the Forestry Commission before the agreement end date (read section 2.7 for agreement duration).

4.7 Woodland Management Plan agreements and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier

You must have a WMP approved by the Forestry Commission before you can apply for woodland support under the Higher Tier element of Countryside Stewardship. This is the case whether the CS Higher Tier application is for woodland only or woodland in a ‘mixed’ agreement (an agreement that includes woodland and agri-environment land).

The WMP must be approved (or approved in principle) on or before the deadline for initial CS Higher Tier applications.

If the WMP is only approved in principle at the time the initial CS Higher Tier application is made, the plan must be fully approved (including felling licence in place) by the deadline for final CS Higher Tier applications.

‘Approved in principle’ means that approval of the plan depends on any accompanying felling licence permission being in place, which can often take longer than approval of the WMP. This is because of the requirement to publish felling proposals on a public register for 28 days.

To make sure there is opportunity for a WMP to be at least approved in principle in time for an initial Higher Tier application, you should submit your draft WMP to the Forestry Commission by 31 December of the year before the Higher Tier application will be made.

4.8 Land in Environmental Stewardship agreements

You can make a WMP grant application on land that is already included in an existing Environmental Stewardship agreement as long as preparation of a WMP is not a requirement of the Environmental Stewardship agreement. However, you cannot enter land in an existing Environmental Stewardship agreement into a CS Higher Tier agreement.