Deadline: 20-Jun-21
Applications are now open for the Regional woodland restoration Innovation Fund to encourage and broaden innovation in forestry that results in the improved ecological conditions of existing woodlands and the role they play in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
To help remove these barriers, the Forestry Commission is launching an innovation fund to which applications are invited. Projects should target novel ways in removing the three barriers outlined. They invite applications from woodland management companies, conversation bodies, organizations and consortiums in a position to accelerate the restoration and improvement of woodlands in the West Midlands and North West England.
There are 226,000ha of woodland in the West Midlands and North West. Innovative thinking is required to:
- improve biodiversity
- conserve threatened species
- address problems caused by invasive species, pests and diseases
The Forest and Woodland Advisory Committees of the North West and West Midlands have identified three barriers to increasing woodland management:
- an absence of easy first steps for owners to understand their woodland and its values (value = social, environmental, tax, timber income), implement management and operational plans designed to improve habitat condition and resilience to climate change. Many owners are not foresters and may not be inclined to engage with either the Forestry Commission or traditional forestry businesses
- fragmented ownership of woodlands. Many woodlands are small and it is not always viable to actively manage these woods in isolation
- an absence of skills and awareness, site specific information on woodland condition, woodland inventory and the value of standing timber makes it difficult for some owners to identify management objectives for their woodlands
They encourage applications for projects that result in:
- demystifying woodland management to non-expert owners
- more native woodlands with long term, UK Forestry Standard compliant, woodland management plans, and associated activity focused on habitat improvement and maintenance and security of carbon stocks
- a conveyor belt of new felling licence applications and applications to Countryside Stewardship woodland improvement, woodland infrastructure and woodland tree health grant schemes
- restored Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites and appropriate improvements to the conservation status of woodland SSSI’s
- more native woodlands containing suitable species and provenances tolerant to climate change, ensuring long term carbon sequestration potential is maintained or improved
- new incomes streams to help owners maintain and improve woodlands in the long term
Funding Information
Up to £70k is available for the 2021–2022 financial year. All of this budget may be used on one project or they may support a number of smaller projects with a minimum value of £20k. Eligible costs that may be claimed will include:
- personnel cost related to researchers, and other supporting staff to the extent employed on the project
- costs of equipment for the period of the project. Where such equipment is not used for their full life only the depreciation costs corresponding to the life of the project shall be eligible
- costs of contractual research, knowledge and patents bought or licensed from outside sources at arm’s-length conditions, as well as costs of consultancy and equivalent services used exclusively for the project
- operating expenses, including costs of materials, supplies and similar products, incurred directly as a result of the project
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for funding the:
- work must be of direct relevance to means by which the ecological condition of woodlands may be improved
- project must look at innovative approaches not currently used in forestry in England
- project must be limited to pre-commercial activity
- lead partner must be an England based business, sole trader, organisation, or research organisation
- majority of any project work must be undertaken in the England
- intended work will need to be completed and invoiced within financial year 2021-2022
For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/regional-woodland-restoration-innovation-fund
