Protecting England’s trees: new opportunities in the Tree Health Pilot Scheme

Defra has some exciting news for landowners and farmers: the Tree Health Pilot Scheme, launched in 2021, has been extended. This means additional funding and resources to help combat pests and diseases that threaten our trees, such as ash dieback and the spruce bark beetle.

What is the Tree Health Pilot Scheme?

Trees are under threat from numerous pests and diseases. To address this, Defra, through the Forestry Commission, is testing various methods to strengthen tree resilience and slow the spread of pests. The scheme provides grants for essential actions such as:

• Biosecure tree felling
• Treatment and management of affected areas
• Restocking and maintaining newly replanted trees after outbreaks
• Farmers, landowners, and local authorities have already benefited from the scheme, with 87 agreements currently in place.

What’s new in the extension?

The scheme’s extension introduces several new opportunities for funding, ensuring continuous support for tree health as we move towards broader environmental land management schemes. Here’s what’s on offer:

Ash dieback support

• Funding for tree condition surveys to assess the health of ash trees
• Action plans and tailored guidance to help landowners choose the best management approach

Oak processionary moth (OPM) management

• Streamlined support with increased rates for tackling OPM, now exclusively for local authorities
• Funding for oak tree surveillance, management planning, communication strategies, and biosecurity training

Spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) action

• Expanded eligibility for the Tree Health Advice package, even for land managers without a Statutory Plant Health Notice (SPHN)
• Proactive spruce removal in affected areas

Improved facilitation fees

• Increased hourly rates for expert facilitators such as forestry agents

New rake and burn option

• Land managers can now opt for ‘rake and burn’ as part of the mulching payment in the felling grant

Higher intervention rates

• Grants for permanent infrastructure increased from 40% to 60%

How to apply

Interested in joining the scheme? You can apply now and still receive funding from other agri-environment or woodland initiatives, as long as the funding isn’t for the same action.

The pilot operates in the north-west, West Midlands, south-east, London, and East Anglia (Ips typographus area).

For more details or to apply, visit here or contact the team at: thpilotenquiries@forestrycommission.gov.uk.