Countryside Stewardship

Contents

• Context

• Options and items

• Guidance and forms

• Applications, including Expressions of Interest

• Scoring

• Agreements

Context

Agri-environment and Forestry 2014-2020 £m

Countryside Stewardship 925

Existing HLS 1,138

Existing ELS 912

Existing Forestry 105

Total 3,080

Rural Development Programme England (RDPE) 2014 -2020

How the scheme will help the environment • The main priorities of the new scheme are:

Overview

• Countryside Stewardship: – will contribute around £900 million to help protect and improve our

environment.

– will be open to all eligible farmers, foresters and land managers

– is a competitive targeted scheme, with grants awarded to those who will make the biggest improvements in their local area.

– replaces Environmental Stewardship (ES), the English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS) and capital grants from the Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) programme.

How it works

• Countryside Stewardship has three main elements:

Purpose Length

• For the most environmentally important sites, including commons and woodlands.

• Woodland Improvement Multi-Annual. • Woodland Improvement Infrastructure

& Capital Grants. • Usually be in places that need complex

management.

• Multi-year agreements, typically for 5 years.

• Longer agreements may be available in some specific circumstances.

• To address widespread environmental issues, e.g. reducing diffuse water pollution.

• Multi-year agreements, typically for 5 years.

• Longer agreements may be available in some specific circumstances.

• Water Capital Grants. • Woodland Creation Capital Grants. • Woodland Management Plans. • Woodland Tree Health. • Hedgerow and Boundary Capital Grants.

• Typically for a one or two year programme of work.

Higher Tier

Mid Tier

Capital Grants

Who’s involved

• Forestry Commission and Natural England will jointly delivery Countryside Stewardship.

• Natural England will broadly lead on the set up and delivery of transactional services for Countryside Stewardship for the first year of the scheme. – This means agri-environment and woodland applications will be

administered by Natural England.

– Applications for the 2015 Woodland Capital Grants will continue to be administered through Forestry Commission Admin. Hubs.

• As with the Basic Payments Scheme, a paper-based approach will be adopted.

• This set up will help maintain continuity until new, online transactional functions are established in the Rural Payments Agency.

Options and items

Options and items

• With the launch of the full scheme on 1 July 2015, the following new woodland improvement options will become available:

• Multi-annual

• Capital

• Infrastructure

• In addition to the following options which opened earlier in 2015: – Woodland Management Plans

– Woodland Tree Health

• Woodland creation will open again in 2016.

Woodland management plans • A Forestry Commission (FC) approved, UK Forestry Standard

(UKFS) compliant plan, is an eligibility requirement for all Countryside Stewardship agreements on existing woodland.

• A plan must be in place before applying for the Woodland Improvement Higher Tier options – it serves to validate the woodland improvement objective. – This requirement may mean that for a given holding an an application

for area-based Agri-Environment options is made in one year and an application for woodland improvement options follows the next year.

• A management plan is not required for tree health or woodland creation applications.

• A management plan item is available for the preparation of full plans for areas over 3ha. For areas less than 10ha, a small plan will suffice.

Woodland improvement Multi annual • Applicants can apply for Woodland Improvement multi annual support if

the work falls under one (or more) of the following objectives: – Restoring plantations on ancient woodland sites

– Enhancing priority habitats

– Enhancing priority species

– Improving resilience to climate change through continuous cover forestry (CCF)

• This option will improve the biodiversity of the woodland or make it more resilient to climate change.

• More details on these objectives, and the requirements for each, are described in the option Woodland Improvement (WD2).

WD2 Woodland Improvement Prescriptions

• Mandatory prescriptions for WD2 Woodland Improvement

Objective Mandatory prescription

PAWs

Reduce the % of coniferous species by year 5, as agreed with an adviser

If required, use regeneration felling to encourage crown development or natural regeneration

Replant 1,100 trees per Ha if native species haven’t started to regenerate naturally 2 years

after the removal of conifers (this is for areas larger than 0.25ha)

Enhance priority habitats

Manage successional scrub through cyclical cutting

Re-coppice as agreed with an adviser.

Thin or selectively fell trees as agreed with an adviser.

Enhance priority species

Manage successional scrub through cyclical cutting

Re-coppice as agreed with an adviser.

Thin or selectively fell trees as agreed with an adviser.

Improve resilience to

climate change and

improve water quality

through CCF

Implement silvicultural transformation

If required, use regeneration felling to encourage crown development or natural regeneration

Replant 1,100 trees per Ha if native species haven’t started to regenerate naturally 2 years

after the removal of conifers (this is for areas larger than 0.25ha)

WD2 Woodland Improvement Prescriptions

Prescription Guidance

Use hair tubes to monitor the presence of red

and grey squirrels in red squirrel strongholds

Presence of red or grey squirrels required.

Release veteran trees from competing tree

growth

Must have veteran trees in area of activity.

Prioritise veteran trees at risk.

Take account of the veteran trees during operations on site (e.g.

thinning)

Control deer if they are identified in the

woodland management plan, put in place a deer

management plan and manage deer populations

using lethal control or fencing to allow

establishment of ground flora and understory.

Deer must be present.

Deer management plan produced should follow as a minimum the

Deer Initiative management plan template.

Remove competing, non-native or invasive

species by mechanical or chemical control, as

agreed with an adviser

Remove non-natives that are detrimental to the woodland:

If substantial blocks of invasive species such as rhododendron are

present, a capital item for removal of this can be applied for (SB6).

Good practise should be encouraged in the area of activity (biosecurity,

cleanliness)

• These prescriptions need to be carried out on all sites, if applicable

Prescription Guidance

Create or manage permanent open space and

access rides

As appropriate, as informed, for example, by the management plan, in

support of achieving UKFS compliance across the work area.

Manage ride edges by cyclical cutting As appropriate, as informed, for example, by the management plan

Ride management should be a minimum of two zone.

Create or maintain appropriate levels of

deadwood habitat in line with the UK Forestry

Standard

As appropriate, as informed, for example, by the management plan

Complete an operational site assessment, or

similar, to show UKFS compliant operational

activities

The FC template for an operational site assessment does not need to be

used, but any alternative ones presented must include all the elements

within the FC template.

Control grey squirrels if they’re identified as a

threat in the woodland management plan

(Grey squirrels must be present on the site)

Use live or lethal traps at 1 per ha and check them daily

If red squirrels are present, only live traps should be used

Keeping Records Show evidence of activities undertaken through monitoring,

photography and marking

Provide monitoring reports in years 3 and 5 to confirm progress (e.g.

providing before and after photographs, a record of the number of deer

culled, and the results of squirrel monitoring)

WD2 Woodland Improvement Prescriptions Continued

Woodland improvement Capital • The capital items available to support woodland improvement can be seen

using the Countryside Stewardship Grants tool.

• Capital items can be applied for both to support multi annual agreements and as stand-alone items.

• Examples of the capital items available for woodland improvement can be found in the option ‘Woodland Improvement (WD2)’.

Woodland improvement Capital Items

• FG1 - Fencing

• FG2 - Sheep netting

• FG4 - Rabbit fencing supplement

• FG5 - Fencing supplement - difficult sites

• FG9 - Deer fencing

• FG10 - Temporary deer fencing

• FG11 - Deer exclusion plot

• FG12 - Wooden field gate

• FG14 - Badger gate

• FG15 - Water gates

• FY1 - Deer high seat

• SB2 - Scrub control - difficult sites

• SB1 - Scrub control and felling diseased trees

• SB4 - Chemical bracken control

• SB5 - Mechanical bracken control

• SB6 - Rhododendron control

• RP3 - Watercourse crossings

• RP5 - Cross drains

• RP6 - Installation of piped culverts in ditches

• RP12 - Check dams

• WN5 - Pond management (first 100 sq m)

• WN8 - Timber sluice

• WB1 - Small wildlife box

• WB2 - Medium wildlife box

• WB3 - Large wildlife box

Capital Items – can be used to make up capital only applications or with a multi-year option

Group 1: Stand alone (scored) Group 2: Only alongside Group 1 (not scored)

FG1 - Fencing FG2 - Sheep netting FG9 - Deer fencing FG10 - Temporary deer fencing FG11 - Deer exclosure plot FY1 - Deer high seat (tbc) FY2 – Woodland Infrastructure SB1 - Scrub control & felling diseased trees SB2 - Scrub control - difficult sites SB6 – Rhododendron Control

FG4 - Rabbit fencing supplement FG5 - Fencing supplement - difficult sites FG12 - Wooden field gate FG14 - Badger gate FG15 - Water gates

Capital-items - only with multi year options Not eligible for stand alone capital applications (must be applied for along with a multi year option):

RP5 - Cross drains

WN5 - Pond management (first 100 sq m)

WB1 - Small wildlife box

WB2 - Medium wildlife box

WB3 - Large wildlife box

RP3 - Watercourse crossings

RP6 - Installation of piped culverts in ditches

SB4 - Chemical bracken control

SB5 - Mechanical bracken control

WN8 - Timber sluice

AC1 - Access capital items

Woodland improvement Infrastructure

• Applicants can apply for a grant for woodland improvement infrastructure.

• This supports improving the management of the woodland through making woodland accessible by road, allowing timber and other forest products to be moved more easily.

• More information can be found under Woodland Infrastructure (FY2).

Footer text 20

Code Type Title Payment

FY2 Capital Woodland Infrastructure 40% of actual costs

21

Block (ha) Agreement (ha)

Woodland Improvement Overall area 0.5

3ha woodland only 1 ha woodland SSSI 0.5 ha mixed applications

Capital only 0.5 Min. application £500

Infrastructure 0.5 Min. application £500

Woodland Management Plans

3.0

Woodland Tree Health

Restoration 0.5 0.5

Improvement 0.5 0.5

Woodland Creation

Biodiversity 0.5 3.0

Water 0.1 1.0

Thresholds

Guidance and forms

Guidance and forms

• The following will be made available:

Guidance on GOV.UK Forms on GOV.UK

Countryside Stewardship Manual

EoI form

Expression of Interest guidance

Higher-Tier application form, including woodland

Woodland application form guidance

Scoring form

Individual item and option guides (published)

Statements of priorities (published)

Countryside Stewardship manual

Guidance

Guide to Countryside Stewardship

Published 15 June 2016

Contents

1. Scheme overview 2. How it works

3. Who can apply 4. Getting consents and permissions 5. How to apply

6. Choose options and capital items 7. Agreement management

8. Terms and conditions

Individual item and option guides

Applications

When to apply

• In 2015:

• The application window for woodland creation will open again in 2016.

• You can apply for Woodland Management Plans & Woodland Tree Health at any time.

When What

Now – 15 July 2015 Submit an EoI (if including agri-environment options)

By 31 July 2015 Complete and submit an initial woodland application form

By 30 September 2015 Submit your final application

October Appraisal and selection

November – December Offers to applicants

1 January 2016 Start date for multi annual agreements

Expressions of Interest

Woodland options Woodland option application form by 31 July 2015

Mixed EoI

by 15 July 2015 &

woodland option application form by 31 July 2015

Agri-environment options

EoI by 15 July 2015

Who can apply

• Countryside Stewardship is open to land managers who are one of the following: – land owners or occupiers;

– tenants;

– landlords;

– licensors; and

– common land rights holders.

• Further information on who can apply will be available in the CS manual and hosted on gov.uk

Who is ineligible

• Countryside Stewardship cannot pay for any environmental management that is already required by statutory duty through:

– payment from Exchequer funds;

– grant aid from any other public body; or

– any other form of legally binding obligation.

• Crown bodies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are not eligible for the scheme.

• Tenants of publically owned land can apply but in all cases, the landlord’s consent is required and the work proposed must not already be covered by the tenancy agreement.

Businesses with multiple sites

• For 2016 agreements there can be multiple paper-based applications from each Single Business Identifier (SBI)

• These applications will be scored individually for each woodland property

• Each application results in one agreement

• For 2016 agreements, for each SBI, applications must all be either Higher Tier or Mid Tier but not both. For 2017 onwards we are aiming to allow a mix of Higher and Mid tier.

• For each SBI all agreements will be combined into a single claim each year

Eligible land

Land parcels must be entirely within England.

1. Agricultural area

– Defined as area taken up by arable, permanent grassland, permanent pasture, or permanent crops.

2. Woodland

– Standard definition e.g. minimum area 0.5ha, width 20m

3. Protected sites (SSSIs, SACs, SPA).

4. Land that is a priority habitat or contains priority species under Biodiversity 2020.

Ineligible land

• Developed land.

• Significant areas (more than 1ha) of standing or running water.

• Land that is subject to another scheme or obligation that’s incompatible with Countryside Stewardship.

• Land where the applicant doesn’t have management control for the duration of the agreement.

Consents

• The consents required are listed for each option or capital item in the individual option guides

• The requirements for any consents, permission, permits, exemptions and written advice will need to be identified and consultation initiated with the relevant bodies as early as possible in the application process. This will allow time for a formal decision to be made.

• It will not be possible for an agreement to be offered until the required consents are in place.

• Woodland infrastructure e.g. – Permitted development/planning permission

– Consent from local planning authority if the road would cross a watercourse

– EIA opinion from the FC and full consent where required

01/07/2015 Footer text 34

How to apply

• This depends on what you are applying for: – Agri environment only

– Woodland only

– Mixed applications

• All applicants: – Must have registered land on the Rural Land Register (RLR)

– Must have a Customer Reference Number (CRN)

– Must have an FC-approved management plan (unless you are applying for tree health or woodland management plans)

Submit Expression of Interest to Natural England

by 15 July Submit initial

woodland application to Natural England

(incl. a map) by 31 July

Finalise and submit

application by 30

September 2015

Review woodland

options with Forestry

Commission Woodland

Officer

Develop application

with Natural England advisor

Agri-environment

only

Mixed applications

Woodland only

Application process Overview

Scoring

Scoring Context • Countryside Stewardship is a targeted, competitive scheme

and funding is limited

• Not all eligible applicants will be offered an agreement

• Consistent with the wider CS scoring framework

• Applications will be ‘scored’ on the basis of:

– How the CS priorities, have been addressed and

– Which priorities have been chosen and where

• Review process after first year

Scoring Scope • In scope

– Woodland Improvement - multi-annual

– Woodland Improvement – capital

– Woodland Improvement – infrastructure

– Higher Tier and Mid Tier Agri-environment options

• Out of scope – Woodland management plans

– Woodland tree health – restoration and improvement

– Woodland creation (separate scoring and application)

Scoring Timing

• Applicant self scores on form to be submitted with initial application by 31 July 2015

• Woodland adviser will validate and compare score against threshold score

• If meeting or above threshold score application will be progressed

• Final application with agreed final score to be submitted by 30 September 2015

• Final applications will be ranked against a cut-off score set dependant on application levels and budgets at the close of the application window (30 September 2015)

• Ranking will be applied separately to woodland only applications, mixed applications and agri environment only applications

• Successful applications offered agreement.

40

Scoring Framework

• Each woodland improvement application- made up of multi-annual objective and/or capital item receives a combined score;

• A score is calculated using:

– a pre-determined base score allocated according to generic Countryside Stewardship priorities; plus:

– An area based score dependant on what is being achieved where; Area of activity for woodland improvement multi-annual or the area of influence for capital items and woodland infrastructure.

The area of influence depends on the capital item that is being used, for a deer fence it would be the area within the fence for woodland infrastructure is would be the area that the road brings into active management

– There is a supplementary score for application areas for the appropriate management of woodland SSSI’s

– Only a base score is used for ‘Priority Species – Woodland Bird Assemblage’ which can be associated with other objectives.

• A given area can only be scored once

Scoring Score Form • The following slides provide an overview of the score form

• This Consists of: – Table 1: Multi Annual Agreements and Capital Items supporting those

objectives

– Table 2: Preliminary Score Table

– Table 3 Additional Base Score – Woodland Bird Assemblage (where applicable)

– Table 4 – Woodland SSSI Supplement (where applicable)

– Table 5 - Grand Total

Score Form Table 1: Multi annual agreements and capital items supporting these objectives

CS Priority Objective Gateway Requirements Area for WD2

(ha) (Priority)

Additional

Area for

capital items

(ha)

Total Area

for

objective

(ha)

Biodiversity

Priority

Habitat

Woodland for this objective must be 50% or more high priority habitat i.e.

Should comprise native species, but can include a proportion of non-native

or advancing/ honorary natives. Up to 20% of the native species could

comprise advancing or honorary natives e.g. beech, hornbeam, sweet

chestnut, sycamore and holm oak as honorary natives in England. Up to

20% of the species could be non-native.

Woodland in lower priority areas must also be in a LIS layer for priority

species or woodland bird assemblage to be included in this objective.

For conifer woodland, the intention for conversion to broadleaf must be

identified in the management plan other than where specific SSSI

requirements state otherwise.

Open the data layer in LIS titled

‘CS Biodiversity Woodland Improvement’

to check the priority area applicable (i.e. high/

medium/ low).

The adjacent colour coding corresponds with the

data layer in LIS.

(High)

(High)

(High)

(Medium) (Medium) (Medium)

(Low) (Low) (Low)

Priority

Species

Refer to the specific National Character Area (NCA) Statement of Priorities

for the list of priority species potentially within or adjacent to your

woodland:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/countryside-stewardship-

statements-of-priorities,

The area benefitting a priority species is defined by

the area of activity/influence directly benefitting the

priority species objective in the Woodland

Improvement multi-annual option or associated

capital item(s).

You will need to provide evidence of presence

through for example a recent record (within last five

years) showing that the species is present either in

or adjacent to the woodland. This will be validated

by a woodland officer.

(High) (High) (High)

PAWS

Resto-

ration

The area against this objective must be within a PAWS restoration area.

The objective area must be predominantly conifer (i.e. 50% or more of the

trees are conifer)

Open the data layer in LIS titled ‘CS Biodiversity -

Priority Habitat Proximity - Ancient Woodland' and

select the PAWS category.

Next open the High and Medium categories from

the 'CS Biodiversity - Priority Habitat Network' layer

to check that the proposed PAWS restoration

activity is in a priority habitat network area.

(High) (High) (High)

Water CCF- For

Water

The area against this objective must be within a water quality catchment

area for acidification.

The woodland will need to be managed to meet the UKFS Practice Guide

titled ‘Managing forests in acid sensitive water catchments’

Open the data layer in LIS titled ‘CS Water – Water

Quality – Acidification’ to check whether the

objective area is within the data layer.

(High) (High) High)

Priority definition for woodland improvement • High Priority (1000) = all broadleaved woodland not captured in the

medium priority

• Medium Priority (100) = conifer woodland (i.e. that is not captured below) + young broadleaved woodland planted under EWGS and all broadleaved woodland that has had a standalone felling licence approved in the last 10 years that wasn’t supported by an FC approved management plan.

• Low priority (10) = Conifer woodland (includes young conifer woodland planted under EWGS and all conifer woodland compartments that have had a standalone felling licence approved in the last 10 years that wasn’t supported by an FC approved management plan).

• The priority category for a given woodland can be checked by visiting the Land Information Search website www.forestry.gov.uk/england-lis

Score Form Table 1: Multi annual agreements and capital items supporting these objectives

CS Priority Objective Gateway Requirements

Biodiversity Priority

Habitat

Woodland for this objective must be 50% or more high priority

habitat i.e. Should comprise native species, but can include a

proportion of non-native or advancing/ honorary natives. Up to

20% of the native species could comprise advancing or

honorary natives e.g. beech, hornbeam, sweet chestnut,

sycamore and holm oak as honorary natives in England. Up to

20% of the species could be non-native.

Woodland in lower priority areas must also be in a LIS layer

for priority species or woodland bird assemblage to be

included in this objective.

For conifer woodland, the intention for conversion to broadleaf

must be identified in the management plan other than where

specific SSSI requirements state otherwise.

Open the data layer in LIS titled

‘CS Biodiversity Woodland

Improvement’

to check the priority area

applicable (i.e. high/ medium/ low).

The adjacent colour coding

corresponds with the data layer in

LIS.

Score Form Table 1: Multi annual agreements and capital items supporting these objectives

CS Priority Objective Gateway Requirements

Biodiversity Priority

Species

Refer to the specific National Character Area (NCA)

Statement of Priorities for the list of priority species

potentially within or adjacent to your woodland:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/countryside-

stewardship-statements-of-priorities,

The area benefitting a priority species is

defined by the area of activity/influence

directly benefitting the priority species

objective in the Woodland Improvement

multi-annual option or associated capital

item(s).

You will need to provide evidence of

presence through for example a recent

record (within last five years) showing that

the species is present either in or adjacent

to the woodland. This will be validated by a

woodland officer.

Score Form Table 1: Multi annual agreements and capital items supporting these objectives

CS Priority Objective Gateway Requirements

Biodiversity PAWS

Restoration

The area against this objective must be within a PAWS

restoration area. The objective area must be

predominantly conifer (i.e. 50% or more of the trees are

conifer)

Open the data layer in LIS titled ‘CS

Biodiversity - Priority Habitat Proximity -

Ancient Woodland' and select the PAWS

category.

Next open the High and Medium

categories from the 'CS Biodiversity -

Priority Habitat Network' layer to check that

the proposed PAWS restoration activity is

in a priority habitat network area.

Score Form Table 1: Multi annual agreements and capital items supporting these objectives

CS Priority Objective Gateway Requirements

Water CCF- For

Water

The area against this objective must be within a water

quality catchment area for acidification.

The woodland will need to be managed to meet the

UKFS Practice Guide titled ‘Managing forests in acid

sensitive water catchments’

Open the data layer in LIS titled ‘CS Water

– Water Quality – Acidification’ to check

whether the objective area is within the

data layer.

Score Form Table 2: Preliminary Totals

WD2 Objective/ Capital Item Base Score (A)

Total Area for

Objective (B) from

Table 1

Points Per Hectare

(C)

Self-Score

A + (B x C)

FC

Agreed

Score

WD2 Objectives and

Supporting Capital

Items

(Table 1)

Priority

Habitat

High

1000 100

Medium 100 10

Low 10 1

Priority Species 1000 100

PAWS Restoration 1000 100

CCF- For Water 1000 100

Totals

Gateway Requirement

Met? (Yes/No)

Score Form Table 3- Woodland Bird Assemblage

CS Priority

WD2

Objective/

capital item

Gateway Requirements

Biodiversity Woodland bird

assemblage

The application area is made

up of blocks within or touching

a woodland bird assemblage

area.

Open the following data layer in LIS ‘CS

Biodiversity – Woodland Bird Assemblage’

to check whether the application area is

within the data layer.

If the gateway is achieved the Woodland

bird assemblage base score can be

applied

This criteria only attracts a base score

(1,000), there is no associated area

score.

Gateway Requirement Met?

(Yes/No) Self-Score

FC Agreed

Score

Score Form Table 4: SSSI Supplement

CS Priority Supplement Gateway Requirements

Biodiversity Woodland

SSSI

All or part of the

application area is

located within a

woodland SSSI

Gateway

Requirement Met?

(Yes/No)

Self-Score FC Agreed Score

Score Form Table 5: Grand Total

Self-Score FC Agreed Score

Preliminary Score (Table 2)

Additional Base Score

Woodland Bird Assemblage (Table

3)

Woodland SSSI Supplement

(Table 4)

Grand Total

Scoring Worked example • Example 1: A site has 10ha high priority woodland,

plus 5ha medium priority – This achieves the gateway score for priority habitat thus achieves the

base score of 1000 for the high priority area and 100 for the medium priority area

– The area of activity is 10 ha high priority and 5ha medium priority

– The area point score for high priority woodland is 100, for medium priority is 10

– Score = 1,000 + (10 x 100) + 100 + (5 x 10) = 2,150

Scoring Worked example • Example 2: A site has 10ha high priority woodland,

5ha of which is within a SSSI – This achieves the gateway score for priority habitat thus achieves the

base score of 1,000

– The area of activity is 10 ha high priority

– The area point score for high priority woodland is 100

– Score = 1,000 + (10 x 100) = 2,000

5ha of the site is in a SSSI thus the supplement can be calculated:

– {( Area within SSSI (5ha)/ Total area(10 ha)} x Total score (2,000)} x 10%

– SSSI Supplement = 100

– Total Score= 2,000 + 100 = 2,100

Scoring Examples

Wider Woodland area

WD2 Area of Priority Habitat

Scoring Examples

Wider Woodland area

Capital item ‘FY2- Woodland Infrastructure’

Capital Item

‘Area of influence’

Scoring Examples

Wider Woodland area

Capital item ‘FY2- Woodland Infrastructure’

Capital Item

‘Area of influence’

WD2 Area of Priority Habitat

Scoring Examples

WD2 Area of PAWs Restoration

Wider Woodland area

Capital item ‘FY2- Woodland Infrastructure’

Capital Item

‘Area of influence’

WD2 Area of Priority Habitat

Scoring Examples

WD2 Area of PAWs Restoration

Wider Woodland area

Capital item ‘FY2- Woodland Infrastructure’

WD2 Area of Priority Habitat

Capital Item

‘Area of influence’

Area where the capital item area of influence overlaps with MAA area of activity. This area will be scored for the MAA activity and excluded from the capital area of influence

Scoring Examples

WD2 Area of PAWs Restoration

Wider Woodland area

WD2 Area of Priority Habitat

WD2 Area of PAWs Restoration

Deer Fence

Capital Item FG9- Deer Fencing Inside an area of WD2 activity. This area of influence would therefore not contribute to the score

Scoring Examples

WD2 Area of PAWs Restoration

Wider Woodland area

WD2 Area of Priority Habitat

WD2 Area of PAWs Restoration

Deer Fence Capital Item FG9- Deer Fencing Outside an area of WD2 activity. This area of influence would therefore be added to the score

Agreements

After applying

• Natural England technical services will acknowledge receipt of woodland improvement applications.

• Agreements will be offered to those applications that meet the local scheme priorities within the budget available.

• Applicants will be informed whether they have been successful after the window closes.

• Successful applicants: – Will be offered an agreement, with 20 days to accept or decline. The

offer will be withdrawn if it is not accepted on time.

– Must return the signed multi annual agreements by 15 December 2015.

• Unsuccessful applicants will be advised why their application was rejected.

Next steps

What When

Expression of Interest guidance published Online now

CS Manual Online now

Expression of Interest submission deadline 15 July 2015

Deadline for the woodland application form 31 July 2015

Deadline for final applications 30 September 2015

Contact us

• For further information: www.gov.uk/countrysidestewardship

• Natural England will handle all initial enquiries (including woodland enquiries) after 1st July: – Telephone: 0300 060 3900

– Email: enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk

• Don’t forget to subscribe to our e-alert. Email GRNationalTeam@forestry.gsi.gov.uk.