DAERA’s Small Woodland Grant Scheme Opens for 2022/23 Applications
Funding for farmers and landowners in Northern Ireland to plant new native woodlands of 0.20 hectares and larger on agricultural land and non-agricultural land.
Administered by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the Small Woodland Grant Scheme forms part of the Forests for Our Future programme which aims to plant 18 million trees by 2030 and create 9,000 hectares of new woodland to help Northern Ireland’s environment and economy.
Landowners, including farmers, estate owners, charitable organisations can apply for any of the following grants:
- Establishment Grant – a standard area-based payment of £2,925/ha covering initial preparation, trees (from a defined list), labour, weeding, maintenance, monitoring and protection. 80% of this grant (£2,340/ha) will be claimed in Year 1 and the remaining 20% (£585/ha) will be claimed in Year 5.
- Annual Premia – an area-based payment of £3,500/ha (10 annual payments x £350/ha) for woodland creation on agricultural land. The grant is eligible in Years 1-10. These are payments for income foregone to cover loss of income compared to agricultural production for a maximum period of ten years. The grant rate may be subject to a periodic review.
- Stock Fence Grant – a payment rate of £6/m for new stock fencing. 100% of this grant will be claimed in Year 1.
Local Councils may only apply for an Establishment Grant.
This is an annual scheme.
The window for 2022/23 applications is 15 June 2022 to 31 August 2022 (22:00).
(This report was the subject of a GRANTfinder Newsflash.)
