Trees, woodlands and forestry - Woodland Creation Planning Grant
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
What it funds
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 there’s potential for woodland creation to take place on the site, then you will be offered a stage 2 payment. At stage 2, you can get £150 per hectare, minus the £1,500 offered at stage 1, to complete stage 2 of the Woodland Creation Design Plan Template. You may get supplementary payments for specialist survey
Who can apply
Landowners, land managers and public bodies (other than Forestry England) can apply to support the design of new woodland under the Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG), provided the work is not already required under existing obligations. Crown bodies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) are not eligible for funding through WCPG.You must plan to create woodland that is: located in Englanda minimum of 5 hectares or more in total size: if the proposed woodland is split into different blocks, each block must meet the definition of woodland set out by the National Forest Inventory: a minimum area of 0.5 hectares and a minimum width of 20 metres If you intend to seek grant aid to plant the woodland, you should consider the minimum areas required to apply for grants for woodland creation when planning your proposal. 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(s) support 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 may include more than 20% of de
How to apply
You can apply year-round. We aim to respond to your application within 15 working days. It may take longer if the application includes untrialled tree species or is in a sensitive location.You must have a signed agreement in place before you start work. Read the WCPG terms and conditions. You’ll need the landowner’s consent and signature if you don’t own the land, and the Forestry Commission may ask to see your tenancy agreement to confirm your land management responsibilities.In part 2 of the application form, you’ll need to outline your planting proposals, and the Forestry Commission may contact you to finalise some details. Complete the application form and return it by email to: WCPG@forestrycommission.gov.uk.
Last checked against the official source: 3 Jul 2026. Scheme parameters are set by the funder and can change — verify before applying, or let us do it for you.
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