About the tree health pilot scheme 2023, who can apply and what land is eligible
Updated 16 February 2024
Applies to England
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About the tree health pilot scheme 2023
The tree health pilot (THP) scheme 2023 is testing different ways of slowing the spread of pests and diseases affecting trees in England.
It expands on support available through the Countryside Stewardship (CS) Woodland Tree Health grant.
There are grants available for:
- larch trees with Phytophthora ramorum
- spruce trees affected by Ips typographus
- sweet chestnut trees with Phytophthora ramorum or sweet chestnut blight
- oak trees with oak processionary moth (OPM)
- ash trees with ash dieback
Check the supporting documents for details on what the grants cover and how to apply.
How it works
If your application is successful, you can claim grant support to pay back some of the costs of carrying out work. For example, to remove and replace diseased trees.
The scheme covers trees in and outside of woodlands, depending on the grant you apply for.
There are around 100 grant agreements available through a competitive application process.
During the pilot, the Forestry Commission may change, add or remove:
- tree types
- pests and diseases
- grants or rates of payment
Changes to the pilot will not negatively affect your grant agreement after you’ve signed it.
Length of the pilot scheme
The pilot runs from August 2021 to 2024. It will help develop the future funding policy for tree health schemes.
Who can take part
The THP scheme 2023 is open to people in certain regions of England who manage specific trees or woodlands infected by specific pests and diseases.
You can apply as an individual or on behalf of other people for a group grant. You may want to apply for a group grant if, for example, you’re from a local council, a charity or you’re a land agent.
If you’re invited to take part in the THP scheme
You’ll usually be invited to take part in the pilot because you’ve been contacted by a Forestry Commission woodland officer. However, you can still apply for the THP scheme without an invitation.
You may be invited to apply by a Forestry Commission woodland officer because you have a specific tree, pest or disease on your land. For example, you might have a Statutory Plant Health Notice (SPHN) for trees infected by one of the specified pests or diseases.
Apply to the THP scheme as an individual
If you read this guidance and think you’re eligible, you can express your interest to take part in the THP scheme.
If you’re applying as an individual, you must be a:
- landowner
- occupier
- tenant
- landlord
- licensor
Apply to the THP scheme as a group
You can apply for some of the grants as a group, depending on the situation. For example, if you and your neighbours have the same tree species with the same pest or disease, you might want to apply together.
Some grants only allow group applications. Check group eligibility in the individual grant descriptions.
Lead facilitator
Group applications must have a lead facilitator. They’ll have responsibility for the application and the work carried out during the agreement.
The lead facilitator could be:
- someone from your group you nominate
- a private agent
- an organisation, such as a local council, woodland initiative or wildlife trust
The lead facilitator will be responsible for:
- making sure everyone does the work they’ve agreed to do
- providing any evidence needed to the Forestry Commission
Group grants will include an hourly fee (£24 per hour) for the lead facilitator. This will pay towards their work organising and coordinating the group work.
The lead facilitator cannot claim for:
- more than 170 hours of work each month
- more in facilitation fees than the total value of grants the group applies for (this excludes OPM grants)
Read about the role of the lead facilitator to find out what they need to do for a group application in the THP scheme.
What land is eligible
To take part in the pilot scheme, the trees or woodlands you or your group manage must have one or more of:
- larch with Phytophthora ramorum
- spruce growing in the high-risk eight-toothed spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) area - see map of demarcated area
- sweet chestnut with Phytophthora ramorum or sweet chestnut blight
- oak with oak processionary moth (OPM) in the established area – see map of the Established Area within London and the South East
- ash with ash dieback
The trees or woodlands you manage must be in one of these regions of England:
- North West
- West Midlands
- South East
- London
If you’re not sure which region your trees or woodlands are in, check the Area and Woodland Officer boundaries map.
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.
General grant requirements
Your grant application must have a minimum funding value of £500. Use the payment tables in the supporting documents to work out how much you can apply for.
You cannot claim for any incurred expenditure for activities or purchases before you’ve received confirmation that your agreement is live.
If you do any work before you sign an agreement, you’ll lose the opportunity to get a grant for that work.
You will be paid based on costs incurred for undertaking grant-funded activities. Any VAT which you cannot recover from HMRC can be included in your THP application and claims.
For group applications, lead facilitators must consider the VAT status of each individual group member separately.
If you already get other funding
If you get funding from other agri-environment or woodland schemes, you can still take part in the THP scheme.
The activities for the THP must be different to the activities you’re getting funding for. You cannot get paid twice for the same work or activities.
Participant feedback
As a THP agreement holder, the Forestry Commission will ask you to:
- fill out surveys
- attend online workshops with other participants, if needed
- have one-on-one conversations with researchers
You’ll need to provide feedback for the duration of your agreement. Your feedback will help contribute towards the design of future tree health schemes.
Return to the THP scheme 2023 guidance.