We're making it easier for you to get planting and reap the benefits by offering financial support through the Forestry Grant Scheme.
Scotland's woodlands are a vital national resource and play an important role in rural development and sustainable land use. Thoughtfully integrated into your rural business, forestry offers many economic and environmental benefits.
In December 2023, the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary responsible for forestry hosted a summit to explore how more woodland can be created in Scotland. A summary of the woodland creation summit is available.
Woodland creation guidance
The woodland creation application guidance and its supporting Information should be followed:
- if you're applying for a grant to create a new woodland
- to comply with the Forestry (Environmental Impact Assessment)(Scotland) Regulations 2017
- if you're seeking approval for a woodland compensatory planting scheme required as a condition of a planning permission.
Preparing woodland creation applications - a guide for land managers
We’ve created a guide for land managers, which will help you assess whether your land is suitable for tree planting as well as preparing and submitting an application for grant funding. This guide is aimed at non-sensitive, small-scale (<5 hectare) schemes. Depending on scheme complexity and sensitivity, additional steps that are not detailed within this guide may apply.
We have also simplified our small woodland operational plan to accompany it, which can now be used for all grant options up to 5 hectares.
Get funding for your woodland
If you're interested in creating new woodland, you can apply for one of the many grant options available through the Forestry Grant Scheme. Successful applicants to the scheme will get:
- an initial planting payment
- annual maintenance payments for up to 5 years (to ensure the best start for your woodland)
- a capital grant (fencing and tree protection)
We'll ensure you have all the information you need to plant the right trees in the right places. We can also put you in touch with experienced and qualified forestry agents who can help you get the best returns on the timber or woodfuel markets.
We also offer loans on the first 20 hectares of new planting proposals. Visit the 'Small Woodland Loan Scheme' web page for more details.