Forestry Commission - FREE events

Following on from the success of last year, the Forestry Commission is co-ordinating a further round of events and advice to provide support to forestry businesses that are thinking of applying for financial support, including grants from the Rural Development Programme (e.g. Countryside Productivity, LEADER and Growth Funds from Local Enterprise Partnerships).

These may offer grants for:

• Timber and woodfuel harvesting, extraction and primary processing equipment
• Storage to season woodfuel
• Training
• Business support
• Co-operation, collaboration and advisory services

Advice & information clinics

• An opportunity to seek 1:1 advice about the support that may be available to help you expand and/or diversify your forestry business.
• Join us on the Forestry Commission stand on Friday 18th September at the Bentley Wood Fair OR Saturday 3rd October at the Surrey Hills Wood Fair.

“Pie and Pint” evening workshops

Informal networking opportunities enabling you to catch up with sector colleagues, get an update on the latest market and grant developments, and to collectively discuss challenges and opportunities with like-minded colleagues.

Dates and venues are to be confirmed, but will be run during the first two weeks of November in the following locations:

• South west Hampshire
• Surrey / Sussex border (near Horsham)
• Berks / Bucks / Oxon
• Kent / East Sussex border

Please let us know if you are interested in attending by emailing southeast.fce@forestry.gsi.gov.uk with your contact details and your preferred location.

Application masterclass” workshops

An opportunity for you to go through Countryside Productivity Scheme and LEADER grant applications in detail, with opportunities to ask questions and discuss proposals.  Dates are to be confirmed, but will run in January 2016.  

Timing 3pm until 6pm in the following locations:

• Sylva Foundation, Little Wittenham (Oxfordshire)
• Alice Holt Research Station, near Farnham (Surrey)
• Woodland Enterprise Centre, Flimwell (East sussex)

To show your interest, please contact southeast.fce@forestry.gsi.gov.uk stating your preferred location.

Countryside Stewardship 2015 - Forestry Commission events

Due to be launched this summer, Countryside Stewardship will contribute around £900 million to land managers to help them improve and protect the environment. 

It will support the forestry sector by creating new woodlands, improving existing woodlands and responding to tree health issues.

The Forestry Commission will host a series of events for foresters, landowners and agents to provide a comprehensive overview of the scheme and its woodland elements as well as practical advice on how to apply.

Two events are planned for the south east and London.  To book a place please register by 12 June 2015 using the local email address below. 

There are limited spaces available at each event and so we recommend you contact us as soon as possible to reserve your place.

Kent - Westerham

Thursday 25 June, 10.00 – 14.00 @ Westerham Hall, Westerham

Berkshire - Grazeley

Friday 26 June, 10.00 – 14.00 @ Grazeley Village Hall, Grazeley

Email: southeast.fce@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

Woodland improvement grant scheme extended – apply now!

The Woodfuel Woodland Improvement Grant (WIG) has been extended and is open for applications – but only until the end of September this year. If you have any roads schemes in mind get your applications in as soon as possible.

The Woodfuel WIG funds access projects which will enable the sustainable extraction of timber from woodland where it is currently inaccessible.

It can also pay for professional support measuring and marketing timber from under-managed compartments.

The current grant covers up to 60% of the cost of work and can be used to fund development on every type of forest road, from quad bike tracks to haul roads for 44 tonne timber wagons, and everything in between. 

Funded work could include the installation of new roads, loading bays or entrance gates, or repairs to faults along access routes, such as damaged bridges and drainage repair.

The timescale for the application process is as follows:

• End of September 2014 – All grant applications must be submitted
• End of December 2014 – Contracts must be signed
• End of September 2015 – All work must be completed and claimed for

Previous grants handed out include £9,600 to improve access roads to a woodland area; £7,500 for the construction of long haul extraction tracks, loading bays and bridge repairs; and £50,000 for the creation of access tracks to a previously unmanageable area of land.

Click here to read about these and other grants awarded by the Woodfuel WIG scheme.

A series of videos have also been produced to help potential applicants - the first of these can be found here.

To find out more about getting a Woodfuel Woodland Improvement Grant, contact Mike Furness on 01494 568970 / mike.furness@ngagesolutions.co.uk.

The grant is delivered by Ngage Solutions across the South East, South West and the county of Cumbria, on behalf of The Forestry Commission.

Business development grants available from Low Carbon Plus

The markets for waste wood, biomass fuel, firewood and fencing are continuing to improve in Kent and we are aware of several new projects and initiatives that should impact right across the supply chain. 

We also know that the sector has struggled with investment in machinery in recent years.  This is partially due to poor markets, but also because grants programmes such as LEADER are not currently active.

Help is at hand!  

The Low Carbon Plus project offers grants to businesses to fund 45% of the cost of qualifying projects. The minimum grant that can be awarded is £1,000 and the maximum grant amount is £20,000.

We are aware that several Kent-based woodland management/wood fuel businesses that have already successfully applied to Low Carbon Plus.  One firewood supplier will use the grant to help improve storage facilities whilst a woodland contractor will use the grant for a new forwarder.

More details can be found below.

Projects must lead to business growth and/or job creation.  Grant funding can be used to cover the following types of expenditure:

• Development finance: funding required to expand the business such as marketing costs
• Plant and machinery: costs of re-tooling and installation of machinery and hardware, as well as training required to operate it
• Intangible assets: including costs of purchasing patents, IT, software and licences  
• Consultancy costs: including marketing and business planning

Funding cannot be allocated retrospectively, and only applications where no activity has yet taken place will be considered.

The initial application form can be found here.  Participants are encouraged to join the Low Carbon Kent business network.

New grants for farming, forestry and low carbon businesses

We are pleased to see the arrival of two new grant schemes that are available to the forestry sector in Kent.

The FFIS and Low Carbon Plus grants can support existing businesses with machinery and other capital and business development costs.

It is possible that there is some overlap in these grants so applicant may need to decide which is best for their business.  As far as we can tell there is no restriction on applying to both.

The FFIS is a £10M 'pot' available in England.  The Low Carbon Plus pot is £1M and available to Kent-based businesses only.

FFIS

First up is the re-opening of the FFIS (Farming and Forestry Improvement  Scheme).  Round 3 of this scheme will provide grants of up to £35,000.  The grant rate in lowland areas is 40%.  Previous beneficiaries of FFIS can re-apply.

Eligible items for the forestry sector include timber processors, harvesters and tractor-mounted forestry grabs.  Deadline for applications is April 4th.  This scheme is funded by RDPE (Pillar 2 if the CAP).

Low Carbon Plus

The next grant is an entirely new grant that is being delivered by Kent County Council's Low Carbon Business Network.

The Low Carbon Plus scheme will provide £1M worth of grants to existing businesses that are involved in 'low carbon' goods and services.

Grants of up to £20,000 may be used for: 

• Development finance: funding required to expand the business (for example, marketing costs)
• Plant and machinery: costs of re-tooling and installation of machinery  and hardware and training required to operate it
• Intangible assets: including costs of purchasing patents, IT, software and licences
• Consultancy costs (e.g. marketing, business planning)

Applicants must be based in Kent. The grant rate is 50%.

The scheme is currently at the pre-launch stage.  Businesses are invited to complete an expression of interested which can be found here.  This scheme is funded by the EU-ERDF.

Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme (FFIS)

The FFIS is part of the Rural Development Programme forEngland (RDPE) and is a scheme of support, developed to help farming, forestry and horticultural businesses in England to become more efficient at using resources.

This scheme aims to help make your business more profitable and resilient whilst reducing the impact of farming on the environment.

There is £20m available under FFIS until December 2013. The grants are for capital items and the grant rate available is up to 40% in non upland areas, and up to 50% in upland areas and the maximum grant allowable per project is £25 000. The minimum grant is £2,500.

What can be funded under FFIS?

To be eligible for funding under FFIS the project must fall within one of the following key areas of activity:

• Forestry: Projects which improve the economic value of forests through the efficiencies of improved processing and adding value. Eligible items include timber processors, forwarders, forestry trailers, tractor mounted forestry grabs. 
• Nutrient Management: Improvements in use of farm manures and slurries so as to improve soil quality and reduce reliance on artificial fertiliser.  Eligible items include slurry injectors, mechanical slurry separation systems and Global Positioning Systems.
• Energy Efficiency: Projects to reduce or recover energy use on farm resulting in a reduction of farm energy bills and carbon dioxide emissions.  Eligible items include heat exchangers, gel coolers and ice builders.
• Water Resource Management: Rainwater harvesting, recycling and reuse systems to reduce reliance on mains water.  Eligible items include pipework specifically to intercept and divert roof water to a storage facility, rainwater harvesting equipment.
• Animal Health and Welfare: Projects which bring about significant improvements in farm animal health and welfare.

Who can Apply?

Farmers, foresters, contractors and horticulturalists across England are eligible to apply

How to apply

The application form will go live on the 16th November when the first round opens. In the meantime you are strongly advised to read the guidance in the handbook as there is some preparatory work you will need to do before you can apply.

If you wish to discuss your proposal before completing the forms or if the item you are applying for is not listed in the guidance then please contact your local Defra RDPE Delivery Team. (0300 numbers are charged at a local rate)

Completed application forms will only be accepted if submitted during an open round. The 1st round of the scheme is open from 16 November 2011 until 17 January 2012.

The selection process for FFIS is competitive and applications will be appraised against one another. This means that there is no guarantee of success and not all projects which are eligible will be awarded a grant.