Forestry grants update

Steve Scott

I plan to cover…..

• EWGS grants under the existing programme

and transition arrangements

• The closure of Woodfuel East and the Wild

Venison Project in the East of England

• A glimpse at the new RDP

Current Rural Development Programme

4

RDPE Transition – overall picture v3.1

2013 20152014

Must beApproved by15/05/2014

To receive FWP must be claimed by30/09/2015

EWGS – WCG & FWPNew applications Submitted by 30/08/2013,

must be approved by 31/12/2013

Must be Claimed by30/09/2015

Planning for applicationscontinuing into 2014,

EWGS – WMG BiodiversityNew Applications Submitted by 31/12/2013

EWGS – All schemes except WMGNew Applications must be Submitted by

31/08/2013(to maximise likelihood of approval by

31/12/2013, pending EU/Defra confirmation of 2014 applications)

First claim year available:13/14: WAG, WPG, Woodfuel WIG, Plant Health WIG, Plant Health WRG14/15: All other grant types, except WMG Access which is CLOSED

EWGS – Woodfuel WIGNew applications continue Approving up to 31/12/2013

Planning for applicationscontinuing into 2014,

to be confirmed by EU/Defra

EWGS – WAG – WPG – WIG - WRGNew Applications continue Approving up to 31/12/2013

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RDPE Transition – claims and Management Plan requirement

2013 20152014 2016 on…

WMGAutomatic first claim Oct 2014

Mgt Plan req’d: Depends on size and whether certified – see

EWGS6 Guide

Woodfuel WIGMust be claimed by 30/09/2015. Mgt Plan req’d: YES

WIG/WRG/WAG*First claim after 31/03/2015:

Mgt Plan req’d: YES

WIG/WRG/WAG*Any claim on or after

01/01/2016:Mgt Plan req’d: YES

(regardless of when first claim made)

WCGMgt Plan req’d: NO – the planting plan is taken as a management plan

WIG/WRG/WAG*Note: if first claim is before 01/04/2015

any further claims up to 31/12/2015do not need a management plan either

WIG/WRG/WAG*First claim before 01/04/2015:

Mgt Plan req’d: NO

FWPNote: in order to claim FWP claims must be made by 30/09/2015

*WAG: Note that if a WAG is in support of

a WPG application then it obviously won‟t

need an existing management plan

Woodfuel East and the Wild Venison Project

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• Applied only to the East of England

• EU projects bringing in c £5m funding since 2009

• Extremely successful

• Now closed –all money spent and final paperwork being

tidied

WFE and WVP

Support to the Forestry Sector in the Next Rural Development Programme

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Two types of grant

1. Similar suite of in-forest grants to EWGS anticipated

(albeit delivered through a joint Environment land

Management Scheme)

2. “Forest Productivity” grants available through Defra

• Consultation due shortly!

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It’s the supply chain…

• Series of (locally-) targeted projects on two themes:

• Woodland Enterprise and Supply Chain

• Deer Management and Venison Supply Chain

• Use the positive interaction between

• land-based grants (NELMS)

• measures to support economic growth, competiveness and

skills

• to use collaboration and innovation

• to make a step-change in the viability and impact of

local supply chains

• will need a „critical mass‟ of participating

businesses/landowners, resources with sufficient focus

• aim for there to be greater market (and smaller

government) support in the future

Woodland enterprise and supply chain

• Need to increase area of actively managed woodland

• Market failure

• Collaboration to work across fragmented resource

• Complement the demand from Grown in Britain

Objectives

m1

• Promote resource efficiency within the

sector

• Shorten supply chains

• Support economic growth

• Improve the resilience of woodlands

Possible support

• Preparatory stage: a national framework –

establishing and sharing data on the resource and

markets

• Supply chain clusters – networks to share

processes, facilities and resources; collaboration in

support of efficiencies; development of new products

and markets

• Training and skills – developing a customer focus

amongst growers and managers; business planning

and development skills, mentoring

• Capital equipment – for harvesting, extraction and

storage

Delivery

• Landscape-scale approach

• Groups of contractors, forest

managers, woodland

initiatives and other

interested parties bid to put

together a package of local

activities

• Local steering group or

board

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Forestry Support - activity

Forestry support

Forestry Productivity(deer and wood)

New Environmental Land Management

Scheme (part)

Business Development

Training and skills

Capital equipment -processing

Out of wood infrastructure

Management Planning

In-wood infrastructure

Deer ManagementCollaboration

Monitoring

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Possible architecture for delivery

Defra

Productivity

(Delivery Body e.g.

RDT)

(Local)

Collaborative

Partnerships

Individual

wood or

enterprise

Individual

wood or

enterprise

Individual

wood or

enterprise

Individual

wood or

enterprise

Individual

wood or

enterprise

Sector & FC

National Framework

Sector &

FC area teams

Enabling

New Environmental

Land Management

Scheme (NELMS)

(Delivery Body – NE &

FC)

Individual

wood or

land-

holding

For simplicity excludes role of growth programme and LEPS.

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How it might work

• Periodic call for proposals

• Appraised nationally and awards made to successful

bids

• Up to 6 years‟ funding for a projects

• At this (early) stage indicative scale for the lifecycle of a

„typical‟ project would be:

Project Type Productivity NELMS *

Woodland enterprise

and supply chain £5m £3m

Deer management and

venison supply chain £0.5m £ 3m

* Not allocated to a given project but through individual land-based applications

Questions?