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You can apply for funding to support native woodland creation or the restoration of Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) within a 25-mile zone surrounding the HS2 route – currently in Phase One, from London to the West Midlands.
See the
The HS2 Woodland Fund (HS2WF) opened on a ‘first come, first served’ basis in February 2018, with an initial budget of £1 million. A further £4 million budget is now available to be allocated to projects until 2022/23.
The fund is open year-round, but applications are assessed four times per year. View the assessment deadlines for 2022 – 2023.
The highest scoring applications in each quarter will be provisionally allocated funding and assigned a Forestry Commission Woodland Officer. Expressions of Interest are no longer being accepted.
Find out more about why the funding is available in the
Case study
At Avon Wood, Mr Harding, a landowner from Warwickshire, applied to the HS2 Woodland Fund when the fund originally opened in January 2018. After finding out that his application had been successful, planting started in November 2018.
Watch the video below to hear from Mr. Harding, the forestry agent who supported him, and the Forestry Commission Woodland Officer who progressed the application:
hear from Mr. Harding, the forestry agent who supported him, and the Forestry Commission Woodland Officer who progressed the application on our YouTube channel.
Find out if you’re eligible
Your land should be inside the 25-mile zone surrounding the HS2 Phase One route. If your land falls just outside this zone but you make a proposal of outstanding quality, you may be considered for funding at the discretion of the Forestry Commission and the HS2 Woodland Fund Review Panel.
You can’t enter into an HS2 Woodland Fund (HS2WF) agreement if the land in your application is under an Environmental Stewardship or Countryside Stewardship agreement.
We may accept an application where you can provide written evidence that you have contacted the relevant grant administrator about an amendment or early closure to remove land within the HS2WF proposal from an existing grant agreement, and that you are aware of all potential penalties or reclaims that may be incurred.
In these cases, we may make an ‘in principle’ agreement offer once your Woodland Officer has carried out all checks and consultation, and your proposal has been finalised. We do not recommend triggering an amendment or early closure process in relation to the existing agreement until you have received such an offer from us.
Your land must be free of existing grant agreements before any final HS2 Woodland Fund agreement offer is made. If you are in any doubt or require further clarification, email <a
The Forestry Commission is not responsible for any delays to the issuing of a final agreement due to the amendment or early closure of existing grant agreements, nor for the decisions made by other grant administrators in relation to existing grant agreements.
You can’t apply to HS2WF if your proposal is subject to a current or recently withdrawn application for woodland funding through Countryside Stewardship or the Woodland Carbon Fund.
If you are applying for support to restore plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS), you must have a Woodland Management Plan approved in principle by the Forestry Commission, and no grant offer will be made until a Woodland Management Plan and all associated Felling Licences have been formally approved by the Forestry Commission.
Thresholds criteria
You must meet the following criteria to create new woodland and/or restore PAWS through the HS2 Woodland Fund.
| Thresholds | Creation | PAWS |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum application size | Connecting or extending existing ancient or ancient semi-natural woodland: minimum application area 1ha, minimum block size 0.1ha. Standalone woodland: minimum application area 5ha, minimum block size 5ha. Minimum width (either connecting/expanding or standalone): 20 metres. | Minimum application of 0.5ha. Minimum felling coupe size 0.1ha. |
| Maximum application size | Connecting or extending existing ancient or ancient semi-natural woodland: maximum application area 25ha. Standalone woodland: maximum application area 25ha. | No Maximum application area. 0.1 – 2ha for individual felling coupes. |
| Stocking densities stems per ha (sph) | 1600 – 2500 | 1100 – 2500 (where there’s existing natural native broadleaf regeneration, you must plant to enrich this and reach the stocking density range). |
| Species mix: see the application annex for a list of funded trees and shrubs, and a list of unfunded shrubs that you may include but will not be funded. | A selection of native trees and shrubs: up to 20% honorary broadleaves, up to 20% woody shrubs, no single species to be more than 70%. | A selection of native trees and shrubs: honorary native species may – where honorary broadleaves are present on site – make up a maximum of either 20% of the planting mix or the percentage of honorary natives present at the time of felling (whichever is lower). No single species to be more than 70% of the restock area. |
| Species selection | Use the Ecological Site Classification Tool to inform species selection based on the medium to high climate change projections up to 2080. You can get support from a Forestry Commission woodland officer. | Use the Ecological Site Classification Tool to inform species selection based on the medium to high climate change projections up to 2080. You can get support from a Forestry Commission woodland officer. |
How it works
You’ll receive a total payment based on the range of funded capital items that you put into your application, up to a specified cap. For native woodland creation, the total capital payment is capped at £8,500 per (gross) hectare of planting – this does not apply to any woodland creation maintenance payments. For PAWS restoration, the total amount for tree planting costs is capped at £4,000 per (net) hectare of restocking, but the cap does not apply to capital items (such as fencing) over and above tree planting. For both application types, the relevant cap does not include leaky woody dams – these can be included over and above the cap.
You’ll also get a 10-year maintenance payment for woodland creation at £200 per hectare per annum. This is paid in 2 instalments at years 5 and 10 of the agreement period. If you’re applying on behalf of the state or local authorities you can’t apply for maintenance payments.
You can watch the HS2 Woodland Fund customer webinar below:
Watch the HS2 Woodland Fund customer webinar
Application deadlines for 2022/23
Applications to the HS2 Woodland Fund are accepted all year round, but are assessed four times a year. The final planting season for the fund is winter 2022/23. The table below shows the application deadlines for 2022/23 and the planting seasons associated with them.
| Application deadline | All agreements issued by | Available planting seasons if your application is assessed following this deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 17 June 2022 | Late October 2022 | Winter 2022-23 |
| Friday 16 September 2022 | Late February 2023 | Winter 2022-23 |
The HS2 Woodland Fund Review Panel will meet to review applications and provisionally allocate funding around 3 weeks following each application deadline. We aim to let you know whether or not a Woodland Officer will be assigned to your proposal within one month of the application deadline.
Payment rates per capital item
You can cover 100% costs of a range of capital items in your application, based on the standard costs below.
This table summarises payment rates and links to detailed specifications about capital items:
| Capital item | Payment rate (100%) | Specification | Available for PAWS | Available for native woodland creation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tree planting | £1.60 / tree | CS TE4 | Yes | Yes |
| Tree shelters | £2.00 / tree | CS TE5 | Yes | Yes |
| Temp deer fencing | £6.50 / m | CS FG10 | Yes | Yes |
| Stock fence | £5 / m | CS FG1 | Yes | Yes |
| Rabbit netting | £3.13 / m | CS FG4 | Yes | Yes |
| Field gate | £487.50 / gate | CS FG12 | Yes | Yes |
| Stone wall top netting | £4.50 / m | CS BN13 | Yes | Yes |
| Badger gate | £168.75 / m | CS FG14 | Yes | Yes |
| Leaky woody dams 1-3m | £461.39 / m | CS RP32 | Yes | Yes |
| Leaky woody dams 3-5m | £764.42 / m | CS RP33 | Yes | Yes |
| Deer high seats | £375 / seat | CS FY1 | Yes | No |
| Deer exclosure plot | £136 / plot | CS FG11 | Yes | No |
| Deer fencing | £8.55 / m | Read the HS2WF specification below | Yes | Yes |
| Invasive species control list A | £3,500 / ha | Read the HS2WF specification below | Yes | No |
| Invasive species control list A 2.5-4m | £4,000 / ha | Read the HS2WF specification below | Yes | No |
| Invasive species control list A 4+m | £5,500 / ha | Read the HS2WF specification below | Yes | No |
| Invasive species control list B | £324 / ha | Read the HS2WF specification below | Yes | No |
| Invasive species control list C | £171.60 / ha | Read the HS2WF specification below | Yes | No |
| Invasive species control list D | £394.63 / ha | Read the HS2WF specification below | Yes | No |
| Deer impact assessments | £300 up to 25 ha | Read the HS2WF specification below | Yes | No |
| Deer vehicle gates (3m x 1.8m) | £430.76 / gate | Read the HS2WF specification below | Yes | Yes |
| Deer pedestrian gates (0.9m x 1.8m) | £339.85 / gate | Read the HS2WF specification below | Yes | Yes |
| Ground prep for natural regeneration | £121.85 / ha | Read the HS2WF specification below | Yes | No |
| Squirrel management cage trap | £15 / unit | Read the HS2WF specification below | Yes | No |
| Squirrel management multi-catch cage trap | £89.50 / unit | Read the HS2WF specification below | Yes | No |
| Squirrel management spring trap (mid-range) | £46.93 / unit | Read the HS2WF specification below | Yes | No |
| Squirrel management automatic self-setting trap | £159.99 / unit | Read the HS2WF specification below | Yes | No |
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Any squirrel traps funded under the HS2 Woodland Fund must be legally compliant. The rules on mammal traps are changing and you will have to keep checking that you are legally compliant. Speak with your Woodland Officer if you’re unsure.
Ground prep for natural regeneration is only available in PAWS restoration applications, and only where there is no surviving ancient woodland flora, natural regeneration, or native understory present.
See the
Basic Payment Scheme
You can continue to get Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments if you’ve met eligibility requirements for HS2WF funding. You must have claimed BPS payments for your land since 2008 and completely exclude livestock from your newly created woodland. If you aren’t on the BPS scheme grazing permission will be at the Forestry Commission’s discretion and is not guaranteed. Trees must be protected from grazing during the agreement and obligation period.
To continue receiving BPS payments, you must notify the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) of your newly planted woodland – complete an RLE1 form to update the land cover with RPA. Read our guidance on woodland grant schemes and BPS: operations note 42 for more information.
How to apply
Submit an application
$CTA Complete and send the application form, application annex and at least one map to: <a
The Forestry Commission has published guidance on Managing England’s woodlands in a climate emergency. You are advised to read and incorporate its advice into your applications.
A woodland condition survey must be completed for all PAWS applications. This can either be submitted with your application, or completed with your Woodland Officer during a site visit. This straightforward assessment, which involves a walking survey through your wood, will give an overview of the condition of your wood’s habitats and will identify any issues you may need to address as part of your HS2WF application. The assessment will need to cover the whole woodland, not just the areas to be felled and restored.
Maps
You must submit at least one map showing the boundary of your project and the location of all capital items included in your application annex. The kind of map you need to submit depends on whether you are applying for support for woodland creation, PAWS restoration, or both. Below, you can see which map(s) you need to submit and links to examples of what these should look like.
Creation
- An . This is a zoned and annotated map showing the location of different tree species to be planted
- An . This is a map showing the design of the woodland including the location of all capital items in your application, areas of open space and fence lines
PAWS
- An . This is a map showing the area of planned restoration activity, including the location of all capital items in your application, areas of open space, and fence lines
- A Woodland Management Plan Map. This is a map from your Woodland Management Plan showing the entire woodland area and the location of different activity types. This map will demonstrate the context of your HS2WF application within your wider woodland.
All maps should show a 6 figure OS grid reference, North arrow, scale, and key, and all compartment numbers in your application annex should be marked on the maps. You should number your maps and ensure that the name of your woodland is written on it clearly.
Give consent if you appoint an agent
If you decide to appoint an agent to apply for funding on your behalf you must complete a Forestry Commission agent authority form to give your consent.
(This is not the same form that you would complete to appoint an agent to apply for Countryside Stewardship: woodland support.)
For more information contact the scheme administrator at <a
Find out how to make a complaint or appeal.
0https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/781880/HS2_EXEMPLAR_PAWS_RESTORATION_WORK_AREA_MAP.pdf’>https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/781880/HS2_EXEMPLAR_PAWS_RESTORATION_WORK_AREA_MAP.pdf
Fonte/Source: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hs2-woodland-fund
