Grants & Regulations

Navigating the way through your grant applications & regulatory requirements

There is a lot of encouragement to plant, manage and restore woodlands, with funding from various schemes available to support this. The support comes with regulation, and there are also guidelines and rules around the use of our countryside, which need to be kept in mind.

Funding application processes can be difficult to navigate. We have many years of experience in this area, and keep up to date with changes, so are able to work with you to unlock the funding you need.

We are also well versed in the regulations around land use, and other areas of compliance, so can help you avoid costly mistakes or delays.

Why Grants and Regulations Matter

Often, the right grants can make a substantial contribution to, or even cover entirely, the costs of woodland creation, management and restoration. Indeed, many such projects wouldn’t be financially viable without these grants. It makes good sense to take advantage of the grants on offer.

The regulations exist to protect woodlands, wildlife and our natural heritage, so compliance isn’t optional, nor should it be an after-thought.

Our expertise can help you successfully navigate funding your project and staying on the right side of the regulations.

What Our Grants & Regulations Service Covers

Grants expertise

The first step, with grants, is establishing which schemes are applicable and appropriate for your project. We can advise on small tweaks that can be made to bring you within eligibility criteria, should that be necessary, as well as how to maximise your income from as many funding streams as possible.

We can support you to complete application forms, together with accompanying documentation to make claims, when the time comes. There is an element of ongoing reporting in many grant applications, which we can also assist with, ensuring you remain in compliance with the terms of your agreement.

Specific areas we can support include:

Woodland creation grants (England Woodland Creation Offer, etc.),
Woodland management grants,
Woodland restoration grants

Regulations expertise

Many woodland management operations are regulated in some way: From day-to-day felling licence applications, to managing Health and Safety appropriately, working within protected sites such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or with protected trees under a Tree Preservation Order, to creating plans compliant with the UK Forestry Standard.

Woodland works need to be well planned and managed appropriately. We are happy to share our expertise in all these areas, and help you to navigate the process successfully.

Here to help

Common Situations We Help With

Start-to-finish navigation of the woodland creation grants process including the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO)
Obtaining felling licences for all timber harvesting operations
Applications for woodland management grants including Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, and ongoing management of long-term agreements, including claims
Applications for restoration grants following the felling of eligible diseased trees, and associated grant claims
Managing grant-funded work and ensuring compliance
Working within sensitive sites (SSSIs, Scheduled Ancient Monuments, etc, including securing permissions for work within protected sites)
Supporting you to understand your legal restrictions and requirements before the project begins
Maximising available funding across multiple grant schemes
Environmental Impact Assessments, including for planting trees and permanent tree removal

Find out more

South West Woodland Management

How We Work and Our Approach

For any project, we offer a free initial consultation to understand your project, your needs and your requirements.

Once we have agreed that we can help you, we will assess the eligibility of your project relative to the grants currently on offer, and guide you through the regulatory requirements. We can help you to prepare and submit applications and supporting material.

During the course of a funded project, we will be on hand to guide you through compliance requirements, and manage the delivery of the grant-funded work. We can handle the reporting requirements of any funding, and evidencing of payment claims.
  
Failure to comply with the regulations, even if you were unaware of them, can result in fines, delays or loss of grant funding. We know the rules, and what ‘compliance’ looks like, as well as how to evidence it.

The final factor, and why we’re particularly adept at managing grants and regulations across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset, is that we’re local. We know the area, we have relationships with the local Forestry Commission team and we understand what makes this area special, and what can make it challenging!

Ask us a question