Trees, woodlands and forestry - Local Authority Treescapes Fund
Defra - Forestry Commission – Nature for Climate Fund. The Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF) will fund Local Authority-led tree planting and assisted natural colonisation of trees outside woods, establishing more trees in settings such as parklands, riparian zones, copses and shelterbelts, as well as green lanes and small linear woodlands alongside roads and footpaths. The fund aims to improve landscape connectivity outside woodland, increase natural colonisation and provide benefits to ecosystems and society, such as carbon absorption.
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Contents
Summary
Defra - Forestry Commission – Nature for Climate Fund
The Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF) will fund Local Authority-led tree planting and assisted natural colonisation of trees outside woods, establishing more trees in settings such as parklands, riparian zones, copses and shelterbelts, as well as green lanes and small linear woodlands alongside roads and footpaths. Planting and protecting new trees that are intended to grow into mature standards within hedgerows is also permitted, though the creation of new hedgerows is not.
The fund targets the restoration of treescapes that have been neglected or suffered damage in the past, including disused and vacant community spaces and those affected by tree diseases such as ash dieback (with ash being the most common species of tree found in non-woodland locations in many areas). The fund aims to improve landscape connectivity outside woodland, increase natural colonisation and provide benefits to ecosystems and society, such as carbon absorption.
Trees outside woodlands (TOWs) are particularly valuable trees to society as they often support biodiversity by connecting fragmented habitats, provide cultural and social benefits and reduce flood risk. They also have strong local amenity benefits, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas.
The fund is part of the Government’s Nature for Climate Fund and will directly contribute to achieving our ambitious tree planting targets to restore habitats in England. Funding will be awarded as capital only grants under Section 31 of the Local Government Act (2003) as amended under Section 78 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (amended 2021).
Eligibility
Planting areas must be less than 0.5ha.
Borough, District and City Councils can now apply via individual bids (rather than umbrella) as well as County Councils, Unitary and Metropolitan Boroughs. Group applications from multiple local authorities within an upper tier local authority area are still strongly encouraged. As partnership working maximises the shared benefits for each partner, and groups will therefore score more highly and will be more likely to receive funding.
In rural areas, trees of any size (new or replacements), may be planted, in any non-woodland location.
In urban areas, ‘standard’ (large) trees may only be planted where they are replacing trees that have been lost, for example due to old age or disease – but smaller trees (whips and feathers), may be new or replacements.
“Urban” refers to areas in the ‘UTCF Trees Close to People’ map layer of the Forestry Commission Map Browser. This map layer shows areas with a population of at least >2,000 people buffered to 1km.
To show standard trees are replacements for an LATF application, LAs need to demonstrate there have been trees lost in the locations they intend to plant urban standards within the last three years, for instance, empty tree pits.
Applications must only include capital costs.
Objectives
The fund will help the nation build back greener from the pandemic and will target landscapes that have been neglected in the past, ecologically damaged, or affected by tree diseases like ash dieback – with ash being the most common species of tree found in non-woodland locations.
This will help local authorities to increase the number of non-woodland trees in their areas and increase the benefits in the area. Trees in these settings are particularly valuable as they can provide the greatest levels of benefit to ecosystems and society, such as carbon absorption, flood protection and support for biodiversity, as well as connecting fragmented habitats through wildlife corridors.
Dates
Open year-round.
How to apply
Each application should be made by the nominated lead applicant for the Local Authority area.
LATF applicants are required to register with Rural Payments to obtain a Single Business Identifier (SBI).This information must be provided in your application. Land submitted in an LATF application does not need to be registered on the Rural Land Register.
You can apply using the LATF application pack, which includes:
Local Authority Treescapes Fund Application Form
Grant Manual detailing the full eligibility criteria, and guidance on completing your application
Local Authority Treescapes Fund Memorandum of Understanding
Project Cost Calculator
Post-Planting Report & Claim Form
Supporting information
Guidance to applicants for 2023/2024 applications is available on gov.uk.
You can apply using the LATF application pack.