There is little point in looking at Scotland’s Forestry Grant Scheme without appreciating the broader benefits tree planting offers. There is a lot of discussion currently about woodlands to store carbon, but let’s consider the benefits to a typical farming landowner in a simple list; don’t skim through. Each heading has many layers to be considered;
This list allows you to pick through your aims and objectives for any woodland you may be considering on your farmland. There is enough design flexibility in the FGS to achieve many of these objectives in one place.
What does the Forestry Grant Scheme offer?
The FGS is now about six years old, replacing the Rural Development Contracts, the Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme, and various Woodland Grant Schemes. FGS is destined to continue as it is for a few more years yet after Brexit, having achieved good overall results for The Scottish Government, helping them to meet targets.
I do not suggest it is the best scheme ever, but it is certainly not the worst. With some constraints removed from the EU (along with 50% of the funding), there is now a chance for The Scottish Government to make creative changes that can improve the FGS further without the need for EU time lag and negotiations.
Grants from Scottish Forestry cover many aspects of Forestry, not just woodland creation, although to be honest, all other grant packages are quickly overshadowed by the push for woodland creation.
There is a lot of detail to be understood behind these bullet points, and some are rarely used. There are flavours in this list, not least agroforestry, that trigger great interest in the farming sector. It is hoped that Scottish Forestry reassesses agroforestry grants very soon as the potential is considerable.
But it is good to know that under the FGS, there is possibly some funding help towards your objectives for your woodlands, but invariably it is a grant that contributes but does not cover the complete costs.
Part two of our look at the Forestry Grant Scheme will look at some of the challenges posed by the available funding schemes and how to tackle these.
If you would like to speak to a member of the Forest Direct Ltd team about woodland grants and available funding, please get in touch.
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