Guidance

Tree health pilot scheme: who can apply and what land is eligible

Updated 18 November 2024

Applies to England

The tree health pilot (THP) scheme grants are available for owners or managers of:

• larch trees with Phytophthora ramorum
• spruce with a statutory plant health notice (SPHN) for Ips typographus (eight-toothed spruce bark beetle) or that are growing in the proactive spruce removal area
• sweet chestnut trees with Phytophthora ramorum or sweet chestnut blight
• oak trees with oak processionary moth (OPM) in the established area
• ash trees with ash dieback

The trees or woodlands you manage must be in one of these regions of England (or include spruce with a SPHN for Ips typographus):

• 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 or contact your area office.

Read the THP scheme documents to check what the grants cover and how to apply.

Check if your land is eligible

You can apply for a grant for trees in woodland or trees outside woodland (TOW). There is no minimum or maximum number of trees you can apply for.

Grant requirements for trees in woodland

The group of trees you are applying for can make up an entire woodland or be part of a larger woodland. The group of trees must:

• be at least 0.5 hectares
• have an average width of at least 20 metres
• be under groups or lines of trees that are, or will reach, at least 5 metres in height and with 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, beside roads and footpaths as well as small groups, copses, shelterbelts and small linear woodlands or in parks.

Who can apply

The THP scheme 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 in taking 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.

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 for the lead facilitator. This will pay towards their work organising and coordinating the group work.

The lead facilitator’s hourly fee is £27, or £47.47 if they have environmental expertise.

The lead facilitator cannot claim for:

• more than £4,725 per month
• more in facilitation fees than the total value of grants the group claims for

Read about the role of the lead facilitator  to find out what they need to do for a group application in the THP scheme.

General grant requirements

Your grant application must have a minimum funding value of £500. Check your eligibility for each grant and the payment rates in the relevant guidance.

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 scheme application and claims.

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 scheme 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 scheme 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 guidance.