The Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG) provides funding to prepare a woodland creation design plan. Landowners, land managers and public bodies (other than Forestry England) can apply. 

The grant has 2 stages:

You can apply for £1,500 to complete Stage 1 of the WCPG application. This is for a desk-based exercise to identify the constraints and opportunities affecting the proposed planting.

If the site has potential for woodland creation, you will be offered a Stage 2 payment. Stage 2 payments help cover the costs for preparing:

• a site appraisal map
• a design concept plan
• a draft woodland creation design plan compliant with the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS)

Important update: 11 December 2024

Find out if you’re eligible

You must plan to create woodland that is: 

• located in England
• a minimum of 5 hectaresof 5 hectares or more in total

If you intend to get funding to plant the woodland, you should consider the minimum areas required to apply for grants for woodland creation when planning your proposal.

You’ll need the landowner’s consent and signature if you don’t own the land. We may ask to see your tenancy agreement to confirm your land management responsibilities.

Landscape-scale applications that span multiple land holdings may be accepted. You do not need to own or control the land, but you will need a letter confirming that the landowner supports the application. If your proposed site spans a border, we will only make a Stage 2 payment of £150 per hectare on the land that is in England.

You are not eligible to apply for a WCPG on the proposed site if you’ve already applied for:

• the England Woodland Creation Offer
• Countryside Stewardship
• the Woodland Carbon Fund
• the HS2 Woodland Fund
• an EIA enquiry form to plant a new woodland

How it works

The funding will help you gather and analyse the information you need to make sure your proposal considers:

• biodiversity and geology
• soils and climate
• landscape 
• water 
• historic environment
• local stakeholders: please use the letter to request stakeholder input (MS Word Document, 95 KB), which explains how their response will be used

You’ll have to develop a UK Forestry Standard-compliant plan for woodland creation that shows any constraints and opportunities, and how these are accounted for. Completing the WCPG application and plan will help you do this.

If your land is already under an existing grant agreement, your woodland creation design plan must cover the impact of tree planting on that agreement. 

Read our WCPG leaflet (PDF, 1.34 MB, 4 pages) for an overview of the scheme.

Payments

You’ll receive payment in 2 stages as you complete the application process.

We make Stage 1 and Stage 2 payments on approval of the relevant completed sections in the WCPG application and plan.

The parts of the WCPG application and plan that relate to stages 1 and 2 will become available for editing when an offer is made.

You may get supplementary payments for specialist survey work, if a need for them is identified by a Forestry Commission technical expert. 

Supplementary payments

If the information you collect during Stage 1 indicates that a more detailed assessment is needed (such as a peat depth survey, or an archaeological survey) you can apply for a supplementary payment.

Where appropriate, the work required under the supplementary payment will need to follow the approach set out in the appropriate standard brief(s).

The current standard brief(s) are:

• peat depth survey
• breeding birds
• vegetation/habitats
• deer impact assessment
• archaeology – analytical survey 
• archaeology – geophysical survey

To request a copy of a ‘standard brief for archaeology’, email WCPG@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

To apply for a supplementary payment, complete the  supplementary payments application form. 

You should submit this with Stage 1 of the WCPG application and plan or when directed by your Woodland Creation Officer.

In exceptional circumstances you can apply for supplementary payments before you have been offered Stage 1 funding at our discretion and approval. 

Creating a woodland creation design plan

You need to complete the WCPG application in 2 stages.

Stage 1

Stage 1 requires you to complete a desk-based exercise, identifying constraints and opportunities for your site. You will compile your data in the Stage 1 tabs of the WCPG application and plan and give supporting documents, including at least a landscape context plan.

If Stage 1 of the WCPG application indicates that there is potential for woodland at the site, you will be offered Stage 2 funding. This includes supplementary payments, where relevant.

If you’re already in receipt of a WCPG Stage 1 agreement offer, you may request the addition of new blocks of proposed woodland over 0.5 hectares. If we agree to these additions, any future Stage 2 offer will include these areas.

To bring new blocks into their agreement, Stage 1 agreement holders need to submit a revised WCPG application and plan with Stage 1 tabs amended to account for the expanded project area. No additional Stage 1 payment will be made.

In most instances we retrospectively add new areas to agreements already subject to an existing Stage 2 offer. This is to ensure new areas are suitably assessed for sensitivities and constraints through the Stage 1 process.

If you are an agreement holder at Stage 2 and would like to extend the project area you will need written agreement from your Woodland Creation Officer to add new areas. The decision to allow this is at our discretion and you might need to submit a new application for the new areas.

Biodiversity, habitats and environment

Existing native, semi-natural habitats are likely to have a high value for biodiversity, and for landscape and visual interest. This will need to be compared with the value of new woodland. We do not support the conversion of priority habitats, such as deep peat or active raised bogs.

Where the proposed planting is in semi-natural habitat, the presumption is that the planting will be restricted to native broadleaved species, or the semi-natural habitat will be retained as open ground within the woodland’s design.  

Find out more about protecting woodland wildlife and the government’s principles for afforestation on or near to priority habitats.

Stage 2

You get a Stage 2 payment for producing a UK Forestry Standard compliant woodland creation design plan by completing the Stage 2 tabs of the application and plan.

See the example WCPG application, maps and plans to understand what we need to complete Stage 1 and 2. These include:

• a landscape context plan
• a site appraisal plan
• a design concept plan and final design plan 

The WCPG application and plan and supporting documents will show a design process: from a survey of the site’s main features to analysis of how they will affect the proposed woodland’s design. This will create an informed design for the woodland.

You may include more than 20% of designed open space in your plan if the constraints of your site make this necessary, but the total Stage 2 payment will be limited to the net planting area plus 20% (of the gross area). This means that any designed open space in your plan over and above 20% of the total project area will not receive funding.

All elements of your woodland creation design plan should be clearly referred to. This should include:

• how those elements of survey and analysis were brought together to produce a UK Forestry Standard-compliant plan for your site 
• any special reports and surveys funded through a supplementary payment

How to apply for WCPG

1. Find out if you’re eligible by reading the grant terms and conditions. You can also talk to your Woodland Creation Officer.

2. Apply using the forms on WCPG forms and guidance.

3. You can start work on your woodland design plan once your application is approved, and you have accepted a Stage 1 agreement offer.

You can apply all year round.

We aim to respond to your application within 20 working days (4 weeks). It may take longer if your application includes untrialled tree species or is in a sensitive location.

You must have a signed agreement in place before you start work.

Make sure you use the latest WCPG forms and guidance as they are updated regularly.

Give consent if you appoint an agent

You can appoint an agent to apply for funding on your behalf. You need to complete a Forestry Commission agent authority form to give your consent. 

Further funding

You can use your approved woodland creation design plan to apply for the England Woodland Creation Offer.

Appeals

Find out how to appeal against a Forestry Commission decision. 

Contact us

Contact the WCPG national team for more information WCPG@forestrycommission.gov.uk or your local Woodland Creation Officer.