How we can help with new planting
The Trees and Woodlands team have been helping landowners and land managers plant and manage woodlands for the last 40 years and can advise on all aspects of woodland creation. We work closely with a number of partners such as the Forestry Commission, Woodland Trust, and Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, to find suitable sites, secure grants, design schemes and maintenance plans, as well as advising on suitable contractors. The key steps for establishing a new woodland are outlined below. Alternatively, you can jump straight to funding.
1. Expressing an interest
Firstly, please contact us at trees@yorkshiredales.org.uk and tell us what your plans are for the new woodland. We will need your contact details and a map showing the location and the area(s) you are interested in planting.
At this stage you can also review our Woodland Opportunities Map which can help identify where woodland opportunities might exist.
You must be the landowner or land manager and have full management control of the land you wish to plant.
2. Ensuring the land is suitable
It’s very important that new woodlands are planted in the right places so we will look at whether the potential scheme is eligible. Initially we will consult with our own experts and carry out a land assessment. This looks at:-
- Constraints such as archaeology, species, habitats, or rights of way. Specialist surveys may need to be organised to determine the presence and productivity of waders, archaeology or depth of peat.
- Opportunities such as improving habitat for red squirrels, black grouse, dormice, connectivity, improving water quality, and establishment through natural regeneration.
Constraints can be managed or may rule out a particular site completely. Opportunities are incorporated into site design to maximise benefits to species and habitats.
3. Funding and site design
If the land is considered suitable, we will carry out a site visit to discuss site design, funding, and when you can expect to plant. This depends on the time of year, the available funding options, size and characteristics of the land and capacity of our woodland officers. Funding applications are then made. For areas of land over 0.5 hectares regulations require an Environmental Impact Assessment.
If schemes progress to the next stage we can also help with contacting and liaising with contractors to undertake planting.
4. Woodland creation and ongoing maintenance
We will also advise on required ongoing maintenance to ensure woodlands successfully establish.
Once your woodland is ten years old, and if eligibility criteria are met, you might be able to access further funding for woodland management.
Funding
We have access to a number of funding schemes which vary by location. Funding changes regularly and funding programmes have their own areas of focus, which our woodland officers will be happy to discuss this with you.
The England Woodland Grant Offer (Forestry Commission)
This will cover 100% of standard creation costs, provide maintenance payments and additional payments based on woodland outcomes. The minimum size for new planting is one hectare and 20 metres in width (10 metres for riparian woodlands). This is available across the whole of the National Park.
Grow Back Greener (Woodland Trust)
This funding covers 100% of actual costs and provides the majority of maintenance payments soon after planting as opposed to annually. The Authority can assist with new woodland schemes from 0.1 ha where planting extends or connects ancient woodland, or over 2 ha in other suitable areas. Again planting needs to be at least 20 metres in width or 10 metres for riparian woodlands.. This is available within the Northern Forest boundary as shown by the map here.
Trees for Climate (White Rose Forest)
The YDNPA is a leading member of the White Rose Forest, the community forest for North and West Yorkshire and a partnership of organisations working together to plant more trees across North and West Yorkshire. The White Rose Forest provides funding, through their Trees for Climate funding programme, for woodland creation across the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire. Trees for Climate funding offers landowners a great deal of flexibility, covering up to 100% of creation, maintenance and management costs of tree planting with a minimum area size of 0.1 hectares. More information about the White Rose Forest and how they work with landowners can be found here.