Sponsored: Creating woodland one lease at a time
For any landowner who has considered planting woodland on their property, Forestry England explains how the Woodland Partnership could be beneficial to you and your land
Woodlands are havens for wildlife and provide benefits for the public in many ways. Woodland can also bring the opportunity to diversify your business, making tree planting a positive move for you, nature and your local community.
The Forestry England Woodland Partnership is a leasehold scheme creating new woodlands across England in partnership with private and public landowners. You receive guaranteed commercial rent from Forestry England who will work with you to negotiate a competitive rent, design, plant and manage the woodland on your land.
If you are a landowner, company or local authority with over 20 hectares of land suitable for woodland creation, this could be the ideal scheme for you.
The thought of embarking upon tree planting on your land could feel like an overwhelming prospect. Where to begin, how to plan, what trees to plant and how much will it cost?
Forestry England will provide support to establish the terms of the lease and develop plans for creating the woodland. Once the trees are in the ground there will be regular visits to help establish the growing woodland, and as the trees mature, the team will manage the site and look ahead to harvesting and replanting in accordance with your agreed plan.
Creating a woodland brings many positive elements to nature, land and your local community. The team will look at the design carefully to improve habitats and will run habitat surveys as the woodland establishes to ensure the site is delivering as expected. Trees also store carbon, help prevent soil erosion and flooding, as well as carbon storage and improving air quality.
Applying for the lease is completely free and there is no obligation to proceed should your site be considered to move into the negotiation process. The process is quick and you will usually find out within six to eight weeks of applying if you have made it through to the next stage of selection.