CWD8: Create scrub and open habitat mosaics
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

£588 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is to create a mosaic of scrub, grasses and other flowering plants with:
- scrub cover allowed to develop, and managed so the mosaic is maintained
- a variety of species, heights, and structure
- growing trees and deadwood, where relevant
The purpose of this is to:
- provide pollen and nectar sources for beneficial insects, such as bumble bees, solitary bees and butterflies
- provide food and habitats for birds and mammals
- improve the quality of woodland edges and transitions between other habitats
- protect soils and watercourses by reducing soil erosion
- restore natural processes to enhance the ecosystem
Where you can do this action

You can only do this action on eligible land that has an existing scrub cover of less than 10% and where it extends, links, buffers or creates stepping stones between existing:
- scrub
- woodland
- wood-pasture
- hedgerows
- other tree-outside-woodland habitats
- other nature-rich habitats
You can also do this action in areas already inhabited by target species.

To use this action, you must avoid negative impacts on existing historic, archaeological, environmental or landscape features.

Eligible land

You can do this action on land that’s:
- an eligible land type
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/land-use-codes-rural-payments) which is compatible with the eligible land cover
Available area you can enter into this action

Total or part of the available area in the land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This action is static. This means you must do it on the same location each year of the action’s duration.

What to do

Your Natural England adviser 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:
- establish scrub habitat mosaics with a variety of heights, widths, shapes and species composition by natural colonisation or planting
- protect mature, veteran and ancient trees, their rootstocks and any attached deadwood
- keep all standing and fallen deadwood from mature, veteran and ancient trees
- replace any trees planted that have failed to establish
- agree all drainage works (including changes to existing drainage) in writing with Natural England before starting any work
The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to:
- exclude all domestic grazing or graze lightly with cattle or pigs to open up the sward to aid tree germination
- agree a stocking calendar specifying monthly minimum and maximum stocking rates by type of grazing animal (if you choose to graze)
- control wild herbivores to allow scrub to develop and establish
- cut to maintain the scrub and grass mosaic or control injurious weeds and invasive non-native species
- manage dense bracken or bracken litter layers in yearly rotations – cut bracken by hand on archaeological or historic features
- attach bird strike markers to all new fences
- maintain or restore natural hydrological conditions for the target habitat as set out in your feasibility study or management plan (if required)
- manage land to mimic natural processes to benefit species, for example create sparsely vegetated land by scarification, sow flower-rich seed or allow natural regeneration to occur
- remove or control agreed invasive non-native flora and fauna species and some native deer species – this action can be funded by other supplements
- tailor the action to protect archaeological or historic features, or existing environmental or landscape features on site
You must not:
- apply fertilisers or manures
- apply pesticides – you may be able to use herbicides to spot-treat or weed-wipe for the control of injurious weeds, invasive non-native plant species, nettles or other plants if this has been agreed with your Natural England adviser
- plough, harrow, roll, cultivate, lime or re-seed unless diversifying sward or introducing tree seeds (as set out in your feasibility study or management plan agreed with a Natural England adviser)
- supplementary feed livestock
- release or supplementary feed game birds
- cut shrubby vegetation during the bird breeding season (from 1 March to 31 August)
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.

Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action

You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action.

Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action.

You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:
- CSHT actions: CWT3, CHRW4
- SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2, WBD10
- SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
- CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
Consents, permissions and licensing requirements

To apply for this action, you’ll need:
- 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 need to:
- agree an implementation plan or feasibility study with your Natural England adviser
- get advice from your Natural England adviser if you have other archaeological or historic features on your agreement land
- get a felling licence (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tree-felling-licence-when-you-need-to-apply) or Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) opinion from Forestry Commission
- get a wildlife licence (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wildlife-licences) from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat
For hydrological restoration, you should include an assessment of the water supply (quantity and quality) in your implementation plan or feasibility study. This will include an assessment of any potential impacts on existing semi-natural habitat, archaeological or historic features and flood risk on third party land.

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 Natural England adviser 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.

Choosing a site

Scrub and open habitat mosaics are valuable particularly in areas where food and shelter for wildlife are in short supply. These include areas dominated by arable land and agriculturally improved grassland.

You can create scrub and open habitat mosaics in most places. They provide most benefit where they extend, link, buffer or create stepping stones between:
- existing scrub
- woodland
- wood pasture
- hedgerows
- other nature-rich habitats
Even small areas of scrub scattered across a landscape provide valuable resources for wildlife.

Developing scrub

The simplest way to create is to allow scrub and open habitat mosaics to develop naturally (natural colonisation). It works best where there’s a seed source (for example, close to existing areas of scrub, hedgerows or woodland). You’ll only need to remove livestock or stop cultivation.

Allow native scrub species to develop that’ll be less than 5 metres tall. These can include:
- hawthorn
- bramble
- blackthorn
- hazel
- dog rose
- field rose
- low growing willow species
Managing grazing

Stopping grazing is often enough to allow scrub mosaics to develop. A small amount of grazing by cattle or pigs can sometimes help to open up the sward, so allowing shrubs to germinate. This is particularly true where there’s a very thick grass sward. Carefully control any grazing so there’s not too much disturbance and shrubs can establish.

You may need to control wild herbivores (especially deer). They can browse young shrubs, hindering the establishment of scrub and open habitat mosaics. You may need to use fencing.

Planting scrub

You only need to plant new scrub to increase the diversity of native shrub species if either:
- you’re targeting wildlife which depend on specific shrub species and structure
- natural colonisation is unlikely to work
Natural colonisation is unlikely to be successful where there’s:
- a lack of suitable shrub seed sources
- a lot of dense, rank (overgrown and tussocky) vegetation like bracken – bracken beds are a good place to plant shrubs as they can provide shade and can help reduce the dominance of bracken
Plant between November and March. Choose a wide range of native species that suit the site. Different scrub species produce blossom and fruit at different times through the year. Provide continual food and shelter for a diversity of wildlife throughout the growing season.

You can:
- plant in clumps
- leave unplanted gaps randomly to create open ground as part of the mosaic
- mix species randomly
Increasing biodiversity

Restoring natural processes will help improve biodiversity. Natural processes include:
- restoring the natural flow of water above and below ground
- establishing natural nutrient status (removing sources of additional nutrient input)
- making sure natural species are present (for example wildflowers)
Managing non-native plant species and wild animals

You may need to control non-native plant species or manage browsing wild animals such as deer where they’re limiting scrub development.

Responding to climate change

Read Natural England’s publication: ‘Adaptation for habitats in Environmental Land Management Schemes’ (https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/5673659512127488) to help you consider your general response to climate change. You must continue to follow the mandatory activities for this CSHT action.