SMALL-SCALE woodland grant funding is to be increased by around 20 per cent in Scotland – in a bid to help address rising inflation costs. 

Scottish Forestry officials have confirmed an extra £750 per hectare will be offered for the first 40 ha of woodland creation projects in most of the country. 

The announcement comes in advance of next week's Woodland Creation Summit, which is being chaired by Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon and bringing together forestry leaders from across the nation to address Scotland's recent planting slump.  

Ms Gougeon said: “As I set out in June when the national planting targets were published, I’m keen to provide more support to help address inflation costs as that is having a direct impact for many on their ability to start growing trees.

“With a large percentage of new woodlands being created by farmers and crofters it is important that we support them as best we can. This increase in grant support should help alleviate some of the rising costs for materials which has been a barrier for some.

“I’m looking forward to chairing the upcoming summit as it will provide an important platform in finding other practical ways to make a step change in increasing our future woodland creation levels.”

Other recent changes to the Forestry Grant Scheme include: 

  • Extending the high cost deer fencing option throughout Scotland – increasing this by £2.30 per metre to £9.90 per metre
  • Reducing the minimum specification for the small or farm woods option to make it more accessible to farmers and crofters wanting to plant woodlands of up to 10ha
  • Sheep and Trees schemes, which combines funding for woodland creation with forestry and farm road accesses, will now be allowed in the Central Scotland Green Network area
  • Tripling the grant for manual or mechanical bracken control from £225 to £720 per ha.

Notably, a doubling of the payment for expanding native woodland through natural regeneration has also been confirmed. This increased grant rate covers the whole of Scotland and now stands at £600 per hectare. This action will stimulate further woodland growth and help in the yearly native woodland targets set out in the Bute House Agreement.

Forestry Journal: Mairi Gougeon will chair next week's summit Mairi Gougeon will chair next week's summit

The grants boost has been made as part of the delivery action plan announced in June which is aimed at ramping up tree-planting levels. For the first time in half a decade, woodland creation levels fell to below 10,000 hectares last year. 

Brendan Callaghan, director of operational delivery at Scottish Forestry, added: "We have listened carefully to the responses in the recent forestry grant consultation and during our regular meetings with stakeholders.

"As a direct result, we have embarked on the most significant changes to the FGS since it was established in 2015 and plan to keep developing the scheme to support the growth of woodlands in Scotland.”