England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO)
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs / Forestry Commission – Defra Trees Programme
- Funding
- £4,000 to £2 million
- Total pot £115 million
- Dates
- Opens 1 June 2021
- Closes 1 April 2030
- Where
- England
- Who can apply
- Individuals, Public sector, Non-profits, Businesses, Local authorities
England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) supports the establishment of new woodlands and is administered by the Forestry Commission. The ‘Find a grant’ tool requires a ‘closing date’ to be specified – 31 March 2030 reflects the period EWCO funding is currently confirmed until, rather than a known closure date. EWCO is funded through the Defra Trees Programme.
About this grant
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs / Forestry Commission – Nature for Climate Fund You can apply to get money to help create new woodland through the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO). You can get up to £10,200 per hectare to create the woodland. You could also get up to £12,700 in additional payments if your woodland contributes to the local community, nature recovery or the environment. For more information, read the guidance on how EWCO works on GOV.UK. You can access all EWCO-related guidance and forms on the GOV.UK EWCO collection page.
Eligibility
Eligibility shown as published by the source. Treat it as a guide and confirm the details on the official page before applying.
All landowners, land managers and public bodies can apply. The land you own or manage must be: entirely within England
under your management control for the full duration of the agreement – if it’s not you’ll need to get written permission from any counter signatories, such as the landowner
You must create woodland that is: at least 1 hectare, which can be made up of several compartments (or blocks), each no smaller than 0.1 hectare
a minimum width of 20 metres wide – except for riparian buffers and shelterbelts, which can have a minimum width of 10 metres
Find out more about EWCO eligibility on the GOV.UK how EWCO works guidance.
What it aims to fund
The main priorities for EWCO are: combating climate change by creating new woodlands that store carbon
contributing to nature recovery by creating new woodland habitat
improving water quality
reducing flood risk
providing climate change mitigation by cooling watercourses
creating woodlands that are close to people
increasing and improving recreational access in new woodland
encouraging ammonia capture to protect sensitive sites
EWCO is one of a suite of Forestry Commission initiatives to support woodland creation and tree planting across England. It gives greater recognition of the public benefits and ecosystem services provided by woodland (and the true costs of creating woodland) by providing additional incentives that encourage the provision of those benefits, in addition to supporting landowners with the capital costs of woodland creation.
How to apply
Read the guidance on applying for EWCO to understand what you need to include with your application.
Key dates from the source
You can apply at any time of the year. Applications can take between 3 and 5 months to process from the time of receiving a complete application. To secure an agreement offer in time for the next planting season, you need to submit your application by 31 May.
Supporting information
You can access all EWCO-related guidance and forms on the GOV.UK EWCO collection page.