Funding and support for Tree Planting

This page lists a range of funding and support opportunities for planting trees. Please note that some funds are renewed annually and may be closed temporarily. For advice on funding specific projects please contact CWA staff.

Woodland Trust: Free trees for schools and communities

The Woodland Trust runs a regular programme supplying tree packs to schools and community groups across the UK. Tree packs come in a range of sizes from 15 to 420 trees and comprise mixtures of native species to meet various objectives.

Closes: August with delivery by November

Dumfries & Galloway Tree Planting Grant Scheme

This grant is for small tree and woodland planting projects in the whole of the Dumfries and Galloway area which fall below the size eligible for the Forestry Grant Scheme. The maximum grant available is £1,000 per applicant per year. Applications will be assessed on a first-come-first-served basis.

Forestry Grant Scheme

The Forestry Grant Scheme, administered by Scottish Forestry, is the primary source of funding for new woodland creation. There are nine woodland creation options, covering different types of woodlands and objectives. The grant includes an initial planting payment and an annual maintenance payment for five years. There are also a range of capital grants available for operations such as fencing and tree protection.

The FGS also includes funding for restocking woods after felling, where this will improve the biodiversity, resilience and species diversity of woodlands in the long term.

Scottish Forestry Small Woodlands Loan Scheme

This scheme aims to remove cash flow barriers that small woodland owners might have when considering tree planting. The loan works alongside the existing Forestry Grant Scheme and is aimed at woodland creation projects up to 20 hectares in size. Half of the upfront costs associated with planting a new woodland, including buying trees, ground preparation or fencing, can be paid in advance by Scottish Forestry.

Carbon Sequestration

New, growing woodlands sequester carbon, and woodland owners/managers can generate income by “selling” this carbon to those who wish to offset unavoidable emissions. The Woodland Carbon Code is the voluntary standard for UK woodland creation projects where claims are made about carbon sequestration. The code creates verifiable carbon units that can be sold and provides assurance that the planted trees will be sustainably managed and capture the carbon dioxide claimed. Carbon units can be sold as Pending Issuance Units (PIUs), which are a “promise to deliver” future carbon sequestration, or as Woodland Carbon Units (WCUs) once the carbon has actually been sequestered. Owners/managers can register schemes and market their carbon units themselves, or engage a project developer to do this on their behalf.

The Borders Tree Grant Scheme

The Borders Tree Grant Scheme funds the planting of individual, or small clumps of trees, which add landscape and biodiversity value to the Scottish Borders countryside – for the benefit of people, communities and wildlife. We are losing trees to disease and old age and we want to encourage people to plant more trees. Applications are invited from residents in the Scottish Borders local authority area only.

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