CWS9: Manage woodlands for flood and drought mitigation supplement
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-10)

What you must do to get paid for this CSHT action and advice on how to do it.

This action is part of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT). You must read the CSHT guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-csht) before you apply.

Duration

10 years

How much you’ll be paid

£56 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

The aim of this supplemental action is to manage woodland to retain water through enhanced soil infiltration and temporary water storage features.

The purpose is to deliver benefits for:
- natural flood management
- improved water resources and water quality
Where you can do this action

You can only use this supplemental action in combination with Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier base action CWD2: Woodland improvement action (https://www.gov.uk/find-funding-for-land-or-farms/cwd2-woodland-improvement).

You can only do this action if you have a Woodland Management Plan and an implementation plan or feasibility study agreed with the Forestry Commission.

You can do this supplemental action on established woodlands that are identified in your Woodland Management Plan as having potential to hold water on site.

Your Forestry Commission woodland officer adviser will agree with you what other supplemental actions may be needed to meet the intended environmental outcomes. This could include:
- CES6: Maintain features for wildfire management (fire belts) supplement
- CSP3: Bracken control supplement
- CSP6: Cattle grazing supplement (non-moorland)
- CSP7: Introduction of cattle grazing on the Isles of Scilly supplement
- CSP9: Support for threatened species
- CUP18: Manage features for wildfire management (fire and fuel breaks) supplement
- CWS2: Manage and restore plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) supplement
- CWS7: Manage historic features in woodlands supplement
- CWS8: Manage native woodland including ancient semi-natural woodlands (ASNW) supplement
- CWS10: 2-zone rides supplement
- CWS11: 3-zone rides supplement
Eligible land

Same as base action.

Available area you can enter into this action

Same or less than the base action.

Rotational or static action

Same as base action.

What to do

Your Forestry Commission woodland officer will assess your land. They’ll work with you to adapt and agree the activities you must do to achieve this action’s aim. All mandatory activities will be set out in your agreement document.

To get paid for this action, you must agree work to retain water or slow water flow with your Forestry Commission woodland officer before starting work.

The advice you’re given from the Forestry Commission is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to:
- retain hollows and wet features in woodland
- remove or disable artificial drainage
- restore natural hydrological conditions, such as springs and seepage features
- retain woody material and naturally formed log jams in watercourses, unless it would increase the flood risk outside the agreement area or prevent fish movement
When to do it

You must do this action each year of its duration.

Evidence to keep

You must keep evidence to show what you have done to complete this action. If it’s not clear that you have done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if they ask for it.

Consents, permissions and licensing requirements

To apply for this action, you’ll need:
- a Forestry Commission approved woodland management plan (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/create-a-woodland-management-plan)
- to agree an implementation plan or feasibility study with your Forestry Commission woodland officer
- Scheduled Monument Consent (https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/planning/consents/smc/) from Historic England for any work on scheduled monuments
- consent from Natural England for any activity on land designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protected-areas-sites-of-special-scientific-interest#get-consent-to-carry-out-operations-on-your-land)
You may also need to:
- get advice from your Forestry Commission woodland officer if you have other archaeological or historic features on your agreement land
- apply for a felling licence (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tree-felling-licence-when-you-need-to-apply) from the Forestry Commission to carry out some activities in this action
- obtain the necessary consents from the Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) or Internal Drainage Board (IDB), before starting any work
- get a wildlife licence from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat
All archaeological and historic features (including scheduled monuments) are identified in your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER).

If you’re a tenant, it’s your responsibility to check whether your tenancy agreement allows you to complete what’s required in the actions you choose. You may need your landlord’s consent.

Capital grants to support this action

If you need to complete an implementation plan or a feasibility study before you apply, you can apply for capital grants plans funding (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/capital-items-guidance-for-applicants-and-agreement-holders#capital-grants-plans).

You can also apply for capital items (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/capital-items-guidance-for-applicants-and-agreement-holders) to help you achieve the action’s aims. Your Forestry Commission woodland officer will discuss eligible capital items with you.

Advice to help you do this action

The following optional advice may help you to do this action. Your agreement document will set out all the activities you must do.

Choose a suitable site

You can do this action in woodland where the landscape, soil and geology can help with flood or drought resilience. It will be most effective on flat or gently sloping land.

For flood resilience it’s best to use this supplement upstream of dwellings or features at risk of flooding.

For drought resilience, it’s best to use this supplement on land with permeable soil and geology.

Your feasibility study will identify sites suitable for this supplement.

You will agree with your Forestry Commission woodland officer what management activities you will carry out using this action.

Manage water flow

You may be able to work with the existing topography and features to hold water on site, but you are likely to need to carry out capital works, such as creating bunds, scrapes or temporary water storage features.

You’ll need to carry out a feasibility study to decide on the best course of action. You can apply for funding using capital plan PA2: Feasibility study (https://www.gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants/feasibility-study-pa2).

Allow any watercourses on site to flow naturally. You may need to remove embankments, bank protection or other artificial structures to allow watercourses to flow naturally, unless:
- they have historic value
- it would increase flood risk elsewhere
Aim for a woodland comprised of predominantly broadleaf species with a complex understory of scrub and ground flora.

In areas that are prone to drought, you could remove or reduce non-native conifers and other species with high water consumption to reduce water uptake.

Regularly remove artificial flood debris and sediment from water storage features when flood waters subside.

Avoid soil compaction and livestock poaching of water storage features.

Your feasibility study will show where wood generated from managing the woodland can be used to slow the flow of water across the site. This could include:
- placing logs across contours
- using woody debris within flow pathways
- using wood to help deflect flows on to the floodplain
The following guidance may help you manage woodland in flood or drought conditions:
- Forestry Commission’s practical guide on ‘Creating and managing riparian woodland’ (https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/publications/managing-riparian-woodland/)
- UK Forestry Standard practice guide ‘Designing and managing forests and woodlands to reduce flood risk’ (https://cdn.forestresearch.gov.uk/2022/10/UKFSPG027.pdf)
- Environment Agency evidence directory (chapter 3) ‘Working with natural processes’ (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6036c5468fa8f5480a5386e9/Working_with_natural_processes_evidence_directory.pdf)