News / New forestry grants
FORESTRY Commission Scotland has announced a new “Native Woodland Creation” grant for the northern and western isles, the first for many years.
As Shetland is a less favoured area, this means a payment of £4,160 per hectare of woodland, plus £360 a year for five years. In addition, there is a fencing grant of £3.20 per metre for stock fence, and £1.52 per metre for rabbit netting.
The minimum size of woodland is 0.25 hectare, with a minimum width of 15 metres. The maximum size however is restricted to one hectare only – otherwise the normal Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) grant applies.
Trees should be planted at a density of 3,000 per hectare, which means a spacing of about two metres between each tree. Up to 25 per cent of the area can be left as “designed open ground”, and 20 per cent of the trees in Shetland can be “mixed broadleaf” – that is to say, they need not be strictly native. This means that wind and salt resistant trees such as Sitka alder and Alaskan willow can be used for shelter.
Applications are made online, following the same procedure as under SRDP and applicants must have a Business Registration Number (BRN) for the land proposed for woodland. This does not disqualify non-crofters, as non-agricultural land is included in the scheme. Applicants can also apply for a BRN on-line.
Applications will be referred to a local assessment panel, as operated under the previous Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme and Northern Isles Locational Premium. The panel will be able to judge if the land and types of trees chosen by applicants is suitable for woodland in Shetland, and make recommendations to applicants and to the Forestry Commission.
Information on the grants can be found on-line at:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/farmingrural/SRDP/RuralPriorities/Options/Woodland
Creation/NandWIslesNativeWoodland
For more advice on the new grant scheme and how it will affect Shetland applicants, people can contact James Mackenzie at Shetland Amenity Trust at james@shetlandamenity.org or 01595 694688.
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