Northern Ireland Environment Minister Edwin Poots has announced the next stage of the ‘Forests for Our Future’ programme by reopening two woodland grant schemes to encourage tree-planting. The schemes can support all types of sustainable woodland. The Small Woodland Grant Scheme is designed as a simple online scheme for new native woodlands of 0.2ha and larger, while the Forest Expansion Scheme supports native woodland, mixed woodland or commercial conifer woodland that can best meet landowners' business needs whilst contributing to a living, working, active landscape. Successful applicants to the schemes will receive up to 100% of eligible establishment costs and annual premia for a 10-year period. Minister Poots said: “These schemes are designed to attract and support farmers and other landowners to plant new woodland that compliments their land management objectives and add to our valuable woodland assets.
“I am encouraged to see that 1.75 million trees have been planted to create almost 900ha of new woodland since I launched the Forests for Our Future programme in March 2020.
"These new woodlands have been planted by many private landowners and public sector organisations and will benefit individuals, community and society by contributing to a healthy, quality environment, and capture carbon from the atmosphere as they grow.”

How to apply

Landowners who wish to plant this winter are reminded that all applications to the Forest Expansion Scheme must be submitted to Forest Service by August 31, 2021. All applications to the Small Woodland Grant Scheme must be made using the online system before September 30, 2021. Early applications are encouraged and can be made on the DAERA website anytime following the schemes' opening today.
DAERA