New woodland Grants

[tracy]

A quick guide to some new grants

http://www.chilternsaonb.org/downloads/new_woodland_grants.pdf

[Chris]

You can find a lot about the EWGS,other grants and felling licences on the Forestry Commission website. It gives you guides on whether you may be eligible for grants, what rate is available, and the correct forms.

The only drawback with FC grants is that they will be planning for 09/10 starting in May/June, and most grants for 08/09 are already allocated.

As we discussed at the meeting, it is worthwhile contacting your local FC office, as the officer will be a good source of advice, but it is better to get him out to look at several woods in a larger wood at one time. Apart from saving him/her time, considering the larger wood as a whole is often an advantage to the woodland in the long term.

Chris W

[tracy]

Steve Wheatley of Rother Butterfly is running a free workshop on woodland grants, for those in the Rother Area. Please contact him directly if you are interested in going along

Rother Woods Workshop (early booking essential)

Woodland Improvement Grants for Small Woodlands

Saturday 20^th September 2008

09:30 to 12:30 at the Woodland Enterprise Centre, Flimwell

This workshop aims to guide small woodland owners through the

bureaucracy of the Woodland Grant Scheme. The aim is that by the end

of the session all attendees will have a completed grant application

ready to submit. The workshop should be useful to any woodland owners

who are planning to undertake any activities such as felling,

coppicing, ride widening, improving access, deer fencing, rhododendron

control, conifer removal, etc.

Part 1: Introduction to Rural Payments and the Woodland Grant Scheme

Coffee break

Part 2: Completing the forms and producing a grant application

Steve Wheatley

Rother Woods Project Officer

Butterfly Conservation

01580 879958

07747 780605

[email protected]

<mailto:[email protected]erfly-conservation.org>

[tracy]

Landscape & Biodiversity Enhancement Grants Available - Kent Downs

Would you like to improve the already outstanding landscape around you but need some help? If you live in or near the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, grant aid to carry out wildlife and landscape projects, or similar projects which involve the local community, could make your plans a reality.

Grants are available to landowners through the Medway Valley Countryside Partnership, owing to support from Interreg funding, and Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council.

Projects such chalk downland restoration can help transform the land from a state of low diversity and little interest, to being valuable for rare plants such as this Lady Orchid. Other schemes such as woodland planting, school ground wildlife gardens, pond creation schemes or perhaps cobnut plat or orchard restorations may also be eligible. A successful scheme will receive grant aid amounting to 50% of costs, up to a maximum of £1,500.

If you are interested please contact the Medway Valley Countryside Partnership for suggestions, a free initial site visit and advice. Funds are limited so please apply as soon as possible.

Phone 01622 683695 or e-mail [email protected]

[Dennis]

To get a EWGS grant don't you have to clear various hurdles with the Rural Payments Agency?

[tracy]

Yes, you do, but not sure if it is the same for the Kent grants. Anyone interested can contact them directly and find out what they need to do.

[tracy]

Plantation woodland in the South Downs area have some help...contact Andrew below if you are in the area and interested

Management of Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) in the High Weald & South Downs Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

Woodlands in the High Weald and South Downs AONB’s are an extremely important resource for a variety of reasons, from timber production and employment to carbon sequestration and landscape. A large proportion of the woodland in these areas is classed as ‘ancient’ and is particularly special. The High Weald and South Downs both contain nationally important concentrations of ancient woodland, which gives us, as foresters and landowners, a vital role in managing this resource for the future.

Many of these ancient woodlands have had plantations of non-native species established on them in recent history. Since establishment a number of these plantations have not received regular forest management for a variety of reasons, such as poor markets, difficult access and fragmented ownership. These sites would often benefit from management intervention in order to improve the woodland in terms of timber, wildlife, amenity, game management etc. It is these unmanaged plantations that we are targeting through this project.

By engaging with owners who are not currently managing their plantations we hope to encourage active management that will enhance the woodland resource. We hope to be the first point of contact for owners and provide support and assistance in the form of advice, management planning and access to the enhanced grants available from the Forestry Commission. The aim will be to pass these owners onto established local forestry agents and contractors to implement the management. We will not be targeting sites where the owner has an existing forest manager or agent unless invited to give assistance by the manager/agent.

Your help in identifying relevant sites and contacting owners would be much appreciated. We are also keen to locate suitable demonstration sites in both areas, particularly where PAWS are being managed under continuous cover forestry (CCF) techniques or alongside objectives such as game management, timber production and squirrel control.

Please contact:

Andrew Wright, Forestry & Woodland Restoration Advisor

High Weald & South Downs AONB’s

Tel: 01580 879 964

Mob: 07920 478 895

Email: [email protected]

Thank you

Andrew has an hons degree in Forestry from Bangor Uni, prior to this role he was a Woodland

Officer with FC for 6 years in Surrey/Hants and then SE Wales. He has

also worked for the Woodland Trust and a private forestry consultancy in

the past.

[andy w]

Thanks Tracy

In the High Weald & South Downs AONB's the Forestry Commission now have a Woodland Improvement Grant (WIG) available for up to 80% of the cost of dealing with threats to ancient woodland.

E.g. Rhododendron, deer browsing, dense conifer crops etc.

Anyone out there fit into those categories and interested?

If so, contact the FC on 01420 23337/01580 211123 or myself (see above). If you're in these areas and have a plantation on ancient woodland (PAWS) I can offer free advice etc.

[tracy]

Surrey area meeting on grants.

What is LEADER?

You need to come to the workshops!

If you have a rural business in the Surrey Hills and do not know about LEADER funding, you need to find out fast, because it is the key to thousands of pounds of grants to help sustain the countryside economy.

Come to the workshops in December and discover how LEADER could help drive your business forward. Find out more about the funding available and the type of projects that are eligible. You can also discuss your individual projects and ask questions of Cathy Miles and Lauren Young who run the scheme.

The workshops will be held near Dorking on Wednesday December 9th and Thursday December 10th. There will be a presentation at 10am and repeated again at 1pm on both days. There will also be 30 minute, pre-bookable slots for you to discuss your project with Cathy and Lauren.

Surrey Hills LEADER grant scheme is designed to support the future of rural Surrey by offering grant funding of up to £50,000 to farmers, foresters, landowners, rural communities, rural businesses and tourism enterprises.

For details of the workshops and pre-bookable slots, email [email protected] or call Lauren Young on 0208 541 8697 to book your place.