Within the Chancellor’s budget released this week was a pledge of £60 million towards Woodland Carbon Guarantee Schemes and to support the planting of 10 million trees. This is in addition to the funding available for tree planting in urban areas.
Tony Rimmer of Rostons comments “As Rural Surveyors in Cheshire, we are closely monitoring developments in the emerging Natural Capital sector, particularly as one of the pilot schemes is a new Northern Forest running along the M62, an area in which we support many land owners.”
While Natural Capital is a word which we are hearing more and more often in conjunction with both the Agricultural Bill and a green Brexit, this is the first time the Government have directly announced funding which can be used to support the new proposals.
The new Northern Forest is being managed by five local forestry groups in each of the main areas in conjunction with the Woodland Trust.
Rostons believe farmers should not discount this sort of scheme so easily. As the Basic Payment Scheme is phased out and environmental focus continues, schemes which provide an alternative income source, particularly for less productive agricultural land should be given serious consideration. Particularly as there are currently so many grants available which can help with the additional capital costs of developing the new land use.
Please do not hesitate to contact Rostons if you require further details or would be interested in entering such a scheme.