There have been substantial funding improvements made to the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) and Countryside Stewardship (CS) schemes – supporting farmers and landowners to grow more trees.
The government has a target to increase tree canopy and woodland cover in England to 16.5% by 2050 and the new measures are part of their strategy to increase the rate of tree planting.
Maintenance Payments
As part of the changes to the schemes, Maintenance Payments will increase from 10 years to 15 years.
This change is to ensure land managers are able to carry out the longer-term activities associated with caring for new woodlands.
Capital Window
The timeframe for capital works within the EWCO will be extended from 2 years to 3 years.
The extension provides two whole planting seasons to deliver the scheme, regardless of the start date of their agreement. The additional timeframe provides more flexibility to plan work, secure trees and materials and respond to weather conditions.
Further updates to the EWCO and submitting an application
The updates to Maintenance Payments and the Capital Window follow other recent changes, including a new streamlined application form for EWCO.
The new application form can be accessed here on the England Woodland Creation Offer page.
How M+A Partners can help
For any queries on funding for farmers and landowners please get in touch with our experts or your usual M+A Partners contact.
Additional information on funding for farmers, growers and land managers can be found here.