Woodland scheme makes £10m available for tree planting
© Tim Scrivener The Woodland Carbon Guarantee (WCG) is providing £10m of income for farmers in England who create new woodland.
These are in the form of long-term payments for the amount of carbon a new woodland can store and they are backed by the Forestry Commission and Defra.
Woodlands need to be registered with the Woodland Carbon Code to be eligible.
See also: Woodland Creation Offer: What farmers need to know
A fifth online auction is taking place between 9 and 15 May for woodland owners to sell the carbon they expect their plantings to capture in the form of woodland carbon units (WCU).
The scheme allows landowners to sell the WCUs for a guaranteed price, protected from inflation.
It is designed to speed up woodland planting rates and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, in a bid to help achieve the government’s objective of planting 30,000ha of trees a year across the UK by 2025.
As a result of previous auctions, an additional 2,650ha of trees have been planted in England. During the fourth auction, WCUs averaged £18.62 each, based on bids accepted.
Applications for the next round of the WCG scheme must be made by 24 April.
Sir William Worsley, chairman of the Forestry Commission, said: “This pioneering scheme could be the perfect fit for land managers of all kinds looking for long-term income support for creating new woodlands.
“I strongly encourage farmers, foresters and land managers across England to submit their applications to the guarantee ahead of the application deadline on 24 April.”
The Forestry Commission is hosting a series of webinars to explain the schemes in more detail and offer an opportunity to ask questions of Scottish Forestry advisor Andy Baker and Forestry Commission adviser Chris Waterfield.