CWD2: Woodland improvement
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

A minimum of £500 per year or £127 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is to bring woodlands into sustainable management in line with the UK Forestry Standard.

The purpose is to deliver benefits for net zero and woodland biodiversity.

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on established woodlands that:
- are more than 15 years old – this may include areas of young trees, for example, re-stocked areas
- are at least 0.5ha in size
- have an average width of at least 20 metres (m)
You can only do this action if you have a woodland management plan agreed with the Forestry Commission.

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 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:
- create or manage appropriate levels of open space, 1-zone access rides or a combination of both (a 1-zone ride is a linear open space with a central grass zone)
- create or maintain appropriate levels of deadwood habitat in line with the UK Forestry Standard (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-forestry-standard)
- submit a Woodland Condition Assessment in years 1 and 9 of your agreement
- submit monitoring reports in years 5 and 9 of your agreement
- carry out operational site assessments prior to any work taking place
The advice you’re given from the Forestry Commission is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to remove or control:
- invasive non-native plant and animal species
- some native deer species (as agreed with your Forestry Commission woodland officer)
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:
- a Forestry Commission approved woodland management plan (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/create-a-woodland-management-plan)
- 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:
- 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
- get a wildlife licence (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wildlife-licences) 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.

Creating and managing open space

Open spaces provide habitat and food for invertebrates, birds and small mammals. They also connect adjacent habitats to help wildlife move through the landscape. Managing open spaces will stop them reverting to woodland and losing their unique ecological and historic features.

You can manage open spaces from low cut sward though to mixed scrub woodland (as agreed with your Forestry Commission woodland officer). They can be either:
- temporary, where trees are allowed to regrow after a time
- permanent, where you cut or mow spaces to keep them free of trees
Woodland open spaces can include man-made features like:
- areas of felled trees during the restocking phase
- areas that separate forest blocks and provide access routes (known as rides)
- verges along watercourses
- the edge of roads, tracks and rides that are kept clear of obstructions so you can manage the surrounding woodland
- earthworks and other historic features
- deer management areas
- forest roads and tracks
Natural areas of open space include:
- open patches within the woodland canopy (known as glades)
- patches of open priority habitat including moorland, lowland heath and species-rich grassland
- permanent features like ponds, wetlands, watercourses and rocky outcrops
- partially open areas including scrub, wood pasture and parkland
- areas created by natural disturbance such as trees blown over by the wind (wind throw), landslides and small patches of bare ground
If you need to fell trees to deliver this action, you’ll normally need permission from the Forestry Commission to fell growing trees (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tree-felling-getting-permission). You may need to get other permissions in certain circumstances, even if you do not need a felling licence.

Managing deadwood

Decaying wood is vital for woodland biodiversity, as it provides habitat and food for invertebrates and birds. You can increase levels of deadwood by leaving stems of felled trees (in large sections) after thinning and felling operations.

You can also retain a percentage of any dying or standing dead trees wherever it’s safe to do so within the crop that’s being worked. If your site is in the Ips typographus (eight-toothed spruce bark beetle) demarcated area (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eight-toothed-european-spruce-bark-beetle-ips-typographus), be aware of restrictions on leaving spruce material as deadwood.

Assessing your woodland

For the best results, complete the woodland condition assessment twice within each monitoring year (years 1 and 9) during both:
- early spring before ground vegetation covers up features like dead wood
- summer when trees are in leaf and ground vegetation is present so you can see features like evidence of wild animals browsing
By regularly monitoring the impact of your woodland management actions, you’ll understand the effect changes you have made are having. This will in turn help you plan future management.

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.