Launch of £2.6m Fund to Create ‘Tiny Forests’ in Wales

A grant scheme intended to create small woodlands in Wales, as part of the Welsh Government’s National Forest, is now open to applications.

Coetiroedd Bach is the name for Tiny Forests in Wales. This grant scheme will provide financial support for people and organisations to create tiny forests in Wales between April 2023 and the end of March 2025.

Tiny forests should be about 200 square metres (roughly the size of a tennis court). They must have the potential to be part of the National Forest network in the future. This means woodlands that are well-managed, accessible to people, and give local communities the opportunity to get involved in nature.

The scheme has a total budget of £2.62 million. Grants of between £10,000 and £40,000 per site are available. Applicants may make one application to cover several sites. Each site may not exceed a cost of £40,000, and the maximum grant available per application is £250,000.

This fund is mainly to carry out capital works. A maximum of 13% of each grant can be allocated to revenue spending. In addition, up to 10% of the capital element may be used for project planning and other direct project implementation costs.

The scheme is open to anyone who owns or manages land in Wales, including not-for-profit organisations and private owners, who want to create new small woodlands. Applicants must have full management control of the land, or written permission from the landowner.

The round one deadline for applications is 10 May 2023.

(This report was the subject of a GRANTfinder Newsflash.)