England Woodland Creation Offer application form
Use this guidance and forms to apply for funding to create woodland under the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO).
Applies to England
Documents
Details
Check that you have completed the necessary steps on our England Woodland Creation Offer guidance page before applying.
Read the EWCO grant manual and any relevant appendices to understand the requirements of the grant. These contain essential information about the EWCO agreement, how it works and how to apply.
What information do I need to apply?
Application form
You need to:
- complete the EWCO application form to provide us with basic details about yourself, the site and its management
- confirm you have spoken to nurseries to ensure planting stock you need will be available
- read and accept a number of important declarations
You also need to provide information about the land you are planning to plant (location, area, soil type), the species you are planning to plant, capital items and any additional contributions you would like to apply for, and information on how your application scores.
Declaration form
You need to read and accept several declarations and submit this with your application form.
Map
You need to submit a map showing the location of the proposed woodland and the capital items that will be undertaken.
You can use your own map as long as it meets the standards in the grant manual, or you can use a base map requested through the Forestry Commission’s Map Request Service. If you use this service, we will supply a blank base map for you to mark up by hand to show your proposal.
See our EWCO example map to help you prepare a map that meets our minimum mapping standards.
Where to send your completed forms
Email your completed forms to: EWCO@forestrycommission.gov.uk
Hard copies should be sent to:
England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO)
Forestry Commission National Office
620 Bristol Business Park
Coldharbour Lane
Bristol
BS16 1EJ
How long does an application take?
We aim to acknowledge your application, and let you know if there is information missing within 3 working days. It may take longer during peak periods.
Funding decisions can take 12 to 20 weeks from receiving a valid application. This period includes a 21 day period where new planting proposals must be published on our public register of woodland creation and tree felling.
Timescales are likely to be shorter if you have completed an approved Woodland Creation Design Plan through the Woodland Creation Planning Grant.
Where woodland creation proposals meet the eligibility criteria for the Woodland Creation Fast Track (WCFT), we aim to make regulatory decisions and grant offers in 12 weeks.
Application forms
- EWCO application form
- EWCO declaration form
- EWCO declaration form, countersignature continuation form
Application forms to use where applicable
- EWCO Common Land and Shared Grazing Supplementary Form: complete this form if the land in your application is common land or an area of shared grazing
- EWCO Natural Colonisation Initial Site Assessment Form: complete this form for each individual area in your application you intend to use natural colonisation as a method of woodland creation
- EWCO Public Access Non-spatial Eligibility Form: complete this form to propose your eligibility for the Public Access Additional Contribution (AC), where your scheme is outside of the ‘NfC Social’ GIS spatial targeting layer
- EWCO Biosecure Procurement exception form: complete this form to apply for an exception to the Biosecure Procurement Requirement
Advice for completing the EWCO application form
You only need to complete the Woodland Creation Plan sections (WCP 1 - WCP 5) if you do not already have an approved plan through the Woodland Creation Planning Grant.
You can see specific instructions for completing each worksheet in the form. These are placed at the top of each worksheet. Read the instructions before scrolling down to complete the required fields in each worksheet.
If you are viewing the form in MS Excel, all mandatory fields are highlighted until they are completed. This functionality may not be available if opening the form in other software.
Fields filled in grey and locked for editing do not require input from you.
You need to use a particular format to enter data in some fields. You will see an error message if your entry does not match the required format. You will have to choose an answer from a dropdown list for several question fields, this will be indicated in the question or column heading.
When to use the Biosecure Procurement exception form
If you are not purchasing your trees from a commercial supplier, use this form to request an exception from the Biosecure Procurement requirement.
Claims forms
If you have an agreement and need to make a claim, please use the England Woodland Creation Offer claim form.
Amendment forms
If you have an agreement that you would like to amend, please use the England Woodland Creation Offer amendment form.
Contact the Forestry Commission
Contact the EWCO team for more information EWCO@forestrycommission.gov.uk.
If you have applied, you will receive an email from the address forestry@ukemail.icasework.com. Please check your junk folder and accept emails from this address, and reply directly.
Updates to this page
Last updated 6 November 2024 + show all updates
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Added a new version (v4.0) of the grant manual.
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The EWCO grant manual and appendices 1 to 7 have been updated. Changes have been made to guidance about Ips typographus and spruce, and business viability document requirements.
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Removed the template 'EWCO: applicant notification of local historic environment service' and replaced it with a link to the page: 'When to notify historic environment organisations about forestry proposals'.
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The grant manual and appendices have been updated: 'delinked payments' replaced the Basic Payment Scheme (since January 2024), Business viability guidance updated and the Force Majeure section updated: now 40 working days to invoke (since May 2024).
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The following documents were replaced: EWCO Grant Funding Agreement Terms and Conditions, EWCO Application Form, EWCO Grant Manual, Appendices 1 to 7. This reflects the increase in EWCO payment rates.
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Added latest version of the grant manual which includes the following changes: Section 3.3. Guidance updated on how to adjust RPA land parcel boundaries, Section 4.1. Public Register consultation timeframe adjusted from 28 to 21 days, Section 4.9.1. New guidance on Woodland Creation Fast Track added. Also added updated versions of appendices 1 to 7. Section 7.3. Clarifications on submitting multiple claims for capital work and how Additional Contributions and annual Maintenance are paid.
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Updated EWCO Grant Manual to reflect a change that allows land to move from Countryside Stewardship to EWCO without repayments where certain conditions are met.
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Updated to reflect that the EWCO Capital Funding Period has been extended from 2 years to 3 years and the Annual Maintenance Payments extended from 10 to 15 years. Other minor amendments to the EWCO Grant Manual, Declaration Form and the Terms and Conditions, as stated in the document change logs.
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Addition of link to EWCO amendment form page.
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Update to Application Form to correct minor formatting error.
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Updates to the EWCO application forms and manual.
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Updates to the EWCO grant manual and appendix 6: change log.
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Updated Historic Environment template letter.
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EWCO application forms page updated.
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Added: England Woodland Creation Offer – applicant notification of local historic environment service, template email
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Updated: EWCO Application Form Part A and EWCO Application Form Part B.
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Updated application forms.
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Updated: England Woodland Creation Offer Grant Manual
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Adding EWCO example map.
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Updates to: EWCO Grant Manual, EWCO Terms & Conditions and EWCO Application Form Part B.
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Application form part A updated to version 1.4
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EWCO Grant Manual Annex 2 updated.
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Grant Manual, Terms and conditions, and the Application Form part B have been updated.
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Updated Grant Manual, Grant Funding Agreement Terms & Conditions, Application Form – Part A, Application Form – Part A counter signature continuation page
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Guidance updated.
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EWCO grant funding terms and conditions updated to version 1.3.
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Following documents updated: EWCO Grant Manual EWCO Grant Manual - Appendix 1 EWCO Application Form part A EWCO Application Form part B Link to claims forms page has also been added.
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Update to the EWCO terms and conditions of funding document.
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Small update to EWCO manual.
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Small update to EWCO manual.
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Updated attachments: EWCO application form: part A EWCO application form: part A counter sign sheet EWCO application form: part B EWCO common land and shared grazing supplementary form
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Update to: Terms and Conditions - addition of a End of Capital Funding Date. Capital work under the agreement must be completed and claimed for by this date. This Date will be set out in the Agreement Offer Letter. Update to EWCO grant manual: * Confirm the Grant Funding Period for current applications (work must be completed and claimed by 31 March 2023) and define the Grant Funding Period * Clarify the spatial layers for the Nature Recovery Additional Contributions and the stocking density for the Riparian Buffer Additional Contribution * Set minimum claim value of £1,000 unless final claim
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First published.