GrantRadar

The National Forest Company

Forest Creation Grant

Funding from the National Forest Company (supported by Defra) for landowners and tenants with land inside or close to the National Forest to create woodland, agroforestry and other habitats, from schemes as small as 0.25 hectares. Payments are fixed standard-cost rates, paid once or annually and benchmarked against national tree-planting and agri-environment grants. The National Forest says its schemes can cover up to 100% of design, planning, implementation and maintenance costs. Charities, community groups and other organisations can apply only if they have legal control of land to plant.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£1,500 – £1,000,000
Deadline
105 days left
31 January
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Landowners and tenants with land inside, or close to, the National Forest boundary (check the boundary map on the National Forest website)
  • Eligible applicants include individuals, landowning businesses, incorporated organisations, partnerships and community groups capable of entering into a legal agreement
  • All applicants must show legal control of the land and be able to meet the grant obligations
  • So a charity or community group can apply only if it owns or rents land to plant
  • Larger or more complicated schemes may also need registration on the Rural Land Register to get a Single Business Identifier (SBI)

What it funds

Tree planting and forest creation on land in or near the National Forest:

  • New woodlands from 0.25 hectares up to landscape scale
  • Silvopastoral agroforestry (shelterbelts, scattered trees, wood pasture)
  • Silvoarable agroforestry
  • Creating habitats such as meadows, wetlands, ponds, hedgerows and parkland trees
  • Supporting infrastructure such as access routes
  • Community engagement and public access, including paths, seating and signage

Items come from a menu of standard costs with fixed rates.

Bids are competitive and assessed against three ambitions: Forests for Nature (expand and improve wildlife-rich habitats), Forests for Communities (expand access to greenspace and increase engagement with nature) and Forests for Enterprise (strengthen the forest economy).

Value for money and risk are assessed.

What it will not fund

  • Projects that do not benefit the National Forest or its communities
  • Schemes under 0.25 hectares
  • Works required under planning conditions, including Section 106 obligations
  • Planting required under a Felling Licence or Restocking Notice
  • Works already funded through other National Forest schemes or other grants
  • VAT the applicant can recover from HMRC
  • Buildings, vehicles and similar capital items
  • Work completed before a grant offer is made
  • Projects with a more suitable alternative funding source
  • Woodland created solely for short-rotation coppice
  • Christmas tree production
  • Activities that may damage habitats, archaeology, geology or heritage features
  • Projects that degrade or restrict access to the countryside

How to apply

  1. Check whether your land is inside the National Forest boundary using the map on the National Forest tree-planting page (if it is outside, give its location, e.g. What3Words)
  2. Before getting in touch, note any existing land management agreements (e.g. Countryside Stewardship), your top three objectives, a simple sketch of the planting areas and the rough woodland size (flag early if it is over 2 hectares)
  3. Contact the National Forest through the grant enquiry form on nationalforest.org
  4. Arrange a site visit from a National Forest advisor, who will help identify the right grant and develop the scheme
  5. Submit the application by 11:59pm on 31 January 2027

No work can start before a grant offer is made.

Have ready

  • Evidence of legal control of the land

Larger or more complicated schemes may need a Rural Land Register registration and Single Business Identifier (SBI).

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