Tree planting and woodland creation: overview
Source: gov.uk (2025-08-27)

Find information and support on woodland creation in England, including funding to create woodland, legal requirements and best practice for sustainability.

Trees have far-reaching benefits for you, your land, the environment and for future generations. With the right advice, woodlands can help you generate reliable income streams and deliver environmental benefits that support your wider land management goals.

Read our joint statement with Natural England (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/our-position-on-woodland-creation-in-england) for our position on woodland creation.

Funding and help to plan a woodland creation project

If you’re planning to create woodland in England you may be eligible for the Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG). The fund helps you develop documents for planning and designing a woodland creation project.

We can advise you on the legal regulations you’ll need to follow and how to establish your woodland sustainably.

Landscape and woodland design

For new woodlands in England, you need to carefully design the site to fit within the landscape and accommodate features of interest. Use the guide Landscape and woodland design for woodland creation (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/landscape-and-woodland-design-for-woodland-creation) to plan the design of your new woodland.

To get regulatory approval and grant funding for your project, your woodland creation design plan must comply with the UK Forest Standard (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-forestry-standard).

You need to develop a written plan supported by a:
- landscape context plan
- site appraisal plan
- design concept plan
- final woodland creation design plan
See what these plans need to show, and examples, in our guide to planning new woodland in England (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-guide-to-planning-new-woodland-in-england).

Read about design techniques for forest management planning (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/design-techniques-for-forest-management-planning-practice-guide).

You should also incorporate woodland edge design (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/edge-design-for-woodland-integration-resilience-and-biodiversity) so woodland fits into your landscape and benefits the environment.

Woodland Creation Planning Grant

The WCPG can help cover the costs of producing a UKFS compliant woodland creation design plan.

You can apply for up to £150 per hectare, plus a 70% contribution to any specialist surveys that are needed, capped at £30,500 per project.

WCPG is for planning only and does not provide approval to plant. Proposals approved for payment through WCPG are subject to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) (#EIA) regulations.

Find out if you’re eligible for the WCPG and how to apply (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/woodland-creation-planning-grant).

Funding for woodland creation

You may be eligible to get funding to create woodland. This includes tree planting, planning, maintenance, and tree health in England.

England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO)

Landowners, land managers and public bodies can receive over £10,000 per hectare to create new woodland on areas as small as one hectare.

Find out more about EWCO and how to apply (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/england-woodland-creation-offer).

Tree health pilot scheme

You may be eligible for a grant to restock certain trees under the tree health pilot scheme. The fund aims to slow the spread of pests and diseases affecting trees in England.

Find out more about the Tree health pilot scheme (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tree-health-pilot-scheme) and how to apply through the ‘expression of interest’ process.

Funding for tree and seed production

Our tree and seed production grants closed for new applications during summer 2025.

These schemes were designed for foresters, researchers, landowners, nurseries, seed suppliers and many other UK-based organisations:
- Tree Production Innovation Fund (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tree-production-innovation-fund): supporting the development of new technologies or techniques that enhance UK tree production methods
- Tree Production Capital Grant (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tree-production-capital-grant): funding to improve, expand, automate or mechanise the production of trees and tree seed
- Seed Sourcing Grant (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/seed-sourcing-grant): supporting the development of high-quality tree seed sources
Get money from selling carbon

If your project is not cost-effective with a woodland creation grant alone, you might be able to earn further income by selling carbon credits from your project.

Find out more about the Woodland Carbon Code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-woodland-carbon-code-scheme-for-buyers-and-landowners) scheme for buyers and landowners.

Read more about the benefits of woodland creation: woods and carbon (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-benefits-of-woodland-creation-woods-and-carbon) and how woodland creation can help tackle climate change.

Funding from our partners

We work with several partners who offer woodland creation opportunities. These include the Woodland Creation Partnership, Forestry England and England’s community forests.

Find out more about funding and advice from our partners (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tree-planting-and-woodland-creation-funding-and-advice).

When to apply for an Environmental Impact Assessment

The EIA process has 2 stages. Most projects only need to complete the first stage.

If you want to create new woodland without grant support from us, you may need to apply for a ‘stage 1’ forestry Environmental Impact Assessment (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/environmental-impact-assessments-for-woodland). This is dependent on the size and location of the proposed project.

If your proposal has been approved for a Woodland Creation Planning Grant, you can submit the plan with your ‘stage 1’ EIA application. You don’t need to complete all sections of the application form.

If you’re applying to us for funding, for example, through the England Woodland Creation Offer, there is no need to apply for an EIA. Your grant application is sufficient for us to complete the EIA process. This is providing you have included all the required information in your application.

If you have completed the Woodland Creation Planning Grant for your proposal, your approved woodland creation design plan will be used for the EIA process. So you won’t need to complete all of the England Woodland Creation Offer application form.

Find out more about when to apply for an EIA (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/environmental-impact-assessments-for-woodland#do-i-need-to-apply).

Creating sustainable woodlands

Read the UKFS (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-forestry-standard). This is the reference standard for sustainable forest management across the UK.

The UKFS applies to all UK woodland and explains the international agreements and conventions that apply to sustainable forest management to address climate change, help biodiversity and protect soil and water resources. It covers all forestry activities in the UK and sets out the legal requirements and best practice standards for owners of woodland.

Learn more about what to consider when creating woodland using the UK Forestry Standard (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67d3f775a4075fa7b9851d85/CFT_UK_Forestry_Standard_infographic_Mar_25_.pdf).

Sustainability best practice

When designing new woodlands, use the Forest Research tool Ecological Site Classification decision support system (https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/fthr/ecological-site-classification/). This will help you select species ecologically suited to your site.

You should also consider how tree species suitability is likely to change in the future (https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/fthr/tree-species-and-provenance/).

Habitats and species protection

You need to consider habitats and species already present on the land when planning a new woodland.

Find out more about:
- managing and protecting woodland wildlife (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/manage-and-protect-woodland-wildlife)
- how to benefit species and habitats biodiversity in your woodland (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-benefit-species-and-habitats-biodiversity-in-your-woodland)
- creating and managing riparian woodland (https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/publications/managing-riparian-woodland/)
You must also plan how to protect the trees you plant. Find out about:
- tree pests and diseases (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tree-pests-and-diseases)
- managing threats from destructive animals and invasive species (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/manage-threats-to-woodland-destructive-animals-invasive-species)
- preventing the spread of tree pests and diseases (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prevent-the-introduction-and-spread-of-tree-pests-and-diseases).
Get plants from nurseries with clear plant health management standards in place including nurseries with Plant Healthy Certification (https://planthealthy.org.uk/certification) or similar.

Further resources and case studies

Tree planting and woodland creation resources (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tree-planting-and-woodland-creation-resources) has a list of expert guides on woodland planning, site preparation, how to protect young trees and much more.

Woodland creation timeline: from planning to planting (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/woodland-creation-timeline-from-planning-to-planting) gives an idea of timings from scoping your landscape to planting your first tree.

The Conditional Exemption Tax Incentive Scheme was set up to preserve and protect national heritage. This includes woodland. Find out if you can get relief from Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/woodland-owners-tax-guidance).

Trees to timber: how landowners can benefit from commercial forestry (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/trees-to-timber-how-landowners-can-benefit-from-commercial-forestry) explains the financial and environmental benefits of home-grown timber.

Plant your future: the case for trees (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plant-your-future-the-case-for-trees) outlines the benefits that trees can bring to your land and the financial and expert support available.

Guide for planning new woodland in England (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-guide-to-planning-new-woodland-in-england) shows the necessary steps of planning, designing and creating new woodland to help you create a comprehensive plan that will make your woodland sustainable and UKFS compliant.

Plant your future: top 5 reasons to plant woodland (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plant-your-future-top-5-reasons-to-plant-woodland) details the benefits that trees add to your land, your local community, the environment and future generations.

How woodland creation can benefit your farm (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/its-time-to-branch-out-how-woodland-creation-benefits-your-farm) outlines the financial incentives and expert support available. Learn how woodland creation can help you diversify and generate reliable revenue streams.

The benefits of woodland creation: woods and water (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-benefits-of-woodland-creation-woods-and-water) explains the benefits that tree planting and woodland creation bring to water management and water quality.

The benefits of woodland creation: woods for nature (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-benefits-of-woodland-creation-woods-for-nature) explains how woodland creation can help biodiversity.

Case studies

Read about people who completed successful woodland creation projects on their land: tree planting and woodland creation case studies (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tree-planting-and-woodland-creation-case-studies).

Contact us

Contact your local woodland creation team (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/forestry-commission/about/access-and-opening#Woodland-Creation-Team) for more information about creating woodland on your land.

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