Business Clinic: Are there grants to remove trees with ash dieback?

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s experts can help.

Marc Liebrecht, head of forestry and arboriculture at Carter Jonas advises on availability of grants for removing trees with ash dieback.

See also: Business Clinic: What pay rise should I give my arable farm manager?

Q: Are there any grants to remove trees with ash dieback? In case it’s relevant, the area affected is to become the building plot for a new farmhouse.

However, it would be interesting to know in any case if there are grants for felling and clearing affected trees.

Also, are there any replanting grants, and do you have advice on what species to use if replanting an affected area? 

A: Ash dieback is a disease which has been in Europe for up to 30 years and is anticipated to kill around 80% of ash trees across the UK.

Affected trees are brittle and more likely to fall. The action needed to deal with an affected tree depends on its surroundings.

Where it’s near a road, footpath, third-party boundary or a building, you will need to take action quickly to minimise safety risks.

On the other hand, trees in woodland with no public access or isolated trees in fields require less urgent attention.

It’s still worthwhile getting an arboriculturist to inspect any ash trees, but you may decide – for financial or biodiversity reasons – to leave some trees to fall naturally. 

For those trees that do require felling, it’s really important to use an experienced contractor, as the brittle timber makes felling more dangerous. 

There is grant funding available, although not to cover directly the cost of the felling.

Under normal circumstances, you can reclaim a proportion of some of the associated costs, such as road closures, a facilitator and a survey to help with planning. 

There is also funding for restocking, including capital items and maintenance for up to three years.

The amounts available depend on a variety of factors, including whether or not the affected trees are in woodlands and – if they are – whether it is ancient woodland.

Up to £5,000/ha is available for restocking ancient woodlands and £3,950/ha for other woodland.

A per tree amount for trees outside of woodlands, dependent on the size and type of the tree, is offered up to a maximum of £270.44. 

If tree removal is part of a planning application, however, it will not be eligible for any grants.

In addition to the grant funding, don’t forget that even affected trees have a value as timber, although it will be more valuable if it is less brittle. The location of the trees is relevant, as they need to be accessible.

The fact that the affected area will become a building plot suggests that you will be fine in this regard.

The roadside value for firewood grade timber (wood which is felled, but not seasoned or split) can be around £40-50/tonne.

In terms of species to replant, the answer depends on the area in question. In ancient woodland, native broadleaf species are the most suitable – aspen, sycamore and elm for example – and I would recommend a mix to ensure resilience.

Elsewhere, you can introduce, as well as those three, some non-native broadleaves and conifers – just make sure that you have a mix and that you are choosing species that are suitable for the land type, site conditions and rainfall levels. 

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