The Scottish Government

This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007

Listen

Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme

24/01/2003

A booklet explaining how to apply for the new Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme (SFGS) which offers grants to help with the costs of establishing, replacing and looking after woodlands, was published today by the Forestry Commission.

Forestry Minister Allan Wilson is encouraging woodland owners to start work as soon as possible on grant applications for work in the coming year, especially those interested in the scheme's special Locational Premium grants.

The booklet provides detailed guidance for applicants and their advisers about the new types of grant available and the procedures for applying.

The SFGS will accept applications from June 16 this year.

Mr Wilson said:

"Although the SFGS will not officially open for business until June, I would advise anyone thinking of applying for grants for work in the coming year to start talking to their woodland adviser and preparing applications as soon as possible.

"This is especially true in the case of the enhanced 'Locational Premium' grants that will be available in Ayrshire, the Central Scotland Forest, Grampian, Shetland and Orkney, details of which will be announced over the next few weeks.

"The budget for these grants is limited, and they will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, so good-quality applications that come in early will have an advantage."

The SFGS is intended to ensure that woodland grants help to deliver the aims of the Scottish Executive's Scottish Forestry Strategy.

It replaces the Forestry Commission's Woodland Grant Scheme (WGS) in Scotland, which closes to new applications in Scotland on February 14, although it continues to be open in England and Wales.

The SFGS will offer grants for three broad categories of woodland work:

1. woodland expansion (establishing new woodlands)
2. restocking (replacing harvested trees)
3. stewardship (the care and improvement of existing woodlands)

Also launched today is a programme of free technical seminars in March where woodland owners, advisors and others with a professional interest can learn more about applying for grants and working with the scheme.

The seminars will be held on the following dates and venues:

March 5, Cairndale Hotel, Dumfries

March 6, Tweed Horizon Centre, Newton St Boswells

March 7, Duck Bay Hotel and Marina, Balloch

March 11, Birnam Conference Centre, Birnam, by Dunkeld

March 12, The Kintore Arms Hotel, Inverurie

March 13, Lochardil Hotel, Inverness.

The seminars will include explanations of:

• application forms
• mapping requirements
• new planting grants
• stewardship grants
• restocking grants
• SFGS contracts
• Forest Plans

Each seminar will include an open forum.

The Applicants' Booklet and seminar booking form are available on the Forestry Commission's website at www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland.

Paper copies are available from Athol McDonald, National Office for Scotland, Forestry Commission, 231 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh, EH12 7AT; telephone 0131 314 6154; e-mail: athol.mcdonald@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

The first Scottish Forestry Strategy, Forests For Scotland, was published in November 2000.

The Executive has allocated a budget of £19 million for Forestry Commission woodland grants in each of the years 2002-03 and 2003-04, compared with £17.6 million in 2001-02.

Locational premiums are special grants that the Executive uses to encourage woodland planting, regeneration or improvement in parts of Scotland where it considers them a priority for social, economic or environmental reasons.

The SFGS incorporates a "Farmland Premium", which pays an annual sum to farmers who convert farmland to woodland, in compensation for the farming income foregone. The Farmland Premium replaces the Scottish Executive's Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS). It remains similar to the FWPS, the main change being a simplified payment-rate structure.

The Central Scotland Forest comprises West Lothian, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire and parts of South Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire, where the Shotts-based Central Scotland Forest Trust is leading a Ministerial initiative to establish thousands of hectares of new woodlands and carry out other environmental improvements.