The government says that the new woodland grants offer a profitable way for farmers and landowners to boost their business as well as deliver environmental benefits, alongside food production. It claims that farmers and landowners could receive grants worth up to \u00a310,000 per hectare.<\/p>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2020\/12\/GettyImages-690637619-a46f1c5.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Forestry Commission Chief Executive, Richard Stanford, said: \u201cTrees and woodland play a vital role in protecting the planet and help mitigate the increasing threat of climate change and biodiversity loss.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the Government\u2019s forestry experts, we continue to support farmers and landowners in finding ways to grow trees in a way which meets their individual needs and ambitions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark Tufnell, President of the Country Land and Business Association said:\u00a0\u201cPlanting up areas of marginal land can have many benefits for livestock, water, soil and wildlife management \u2013 as well as providing long-term income from timber, carbon credits, and woodfuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
The switch-over from the old CAP payment scheme to the new Environmental Land Management scheme has been fraught with difficulties for farmers. The recently announced Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), which will replace the basic payment for farmers under the old CAP, was criticised by farming and environmental groups<\/a> alike. The Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery schemes<\/a> were designed to be \u2018bigger and better\u2019 versions of the current agri-environment schemes, but have received only a cautious welcome as many farmers feel that their actual policy implementations are still light on detail.<\/p>\n Getty<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> The new woodland creation funding is to be phased in by 2024 and many farmers are unclear how taking up tree planting grants now might affect current and future payments under the ELM schemes.<\/p>\n Few doubt that planting more trees is anything other than a good thing. Trees can increase biodiversity, sequester carbon and so mitigate climate change, provide shelter for livestock, give a productive use to otherwise unproductive agricultural land, improve the health of rivers when planted along their banks, and help protect against downstream flooding risk by their roots stabilising the soil and slowing down the rate at which water enters the river at times of heavy rain.<\/p> National Farmers\u2019 Union (NFU) Deputy President Stuart Roberts said: \u201cPlanting trees forms a key part of the NFU\u2019s net zero plan, and farmers recognise their role in helping to deliver it. But it is important we are smart in our approach as we cannot end up in a situation where we are losing productive and versatile farmland and reducing sustainable domestic food production, only to increase our reliance on food imports from countries with lower environmental credentials.<\/p>\nMore related content:<\/h4>\n
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