Woodlands For Water
Are you a farmer or landowner?
If you are a farmer or landowner within the Derwent and Ellen catchments (including all the land around the Rivers Derwent, Ellen, Cocker, Marron, St. John’s Beck, Greta/Glenderamackin and their feeder streams), we can help give you advice and support to apply for funding through the England Woodland Creation Offer.
The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world and woodland cover in England currently stands at 10%. 53% of our woodland wildlife species are in decline. To fight climate change, the UK needs to plant 1.5 million hectares of woodland by 2050 to meet our carbon-neutral targets. Trees have an essential role to play to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis but they can also bring benefits to farm businesses by providing shelter and shade for livestock, improving boundaries, reducing soil loss and providing income from unproductive areas of land.
The England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) is a new scheme from the Forestry Commission that pays for creating new woodlands. As a new scheme, it can be tricky for landowners to navigate however.
Woodlands for Water has been developed by Riverscapes Partnership, with support from Defra, and aims to create 3,150 hectares of trees in six river catchments from Devon to Cumbria by March 2025. This scheme helps fund our Catchment Officer, Caitlin Pearson, give free advice and support to landowners helping them apply.
The funding not only covers all the capital costs and maintenance of creating new native woodland, but also gives the landowner a lump sum payment to recognise the benefits that woodlands bring for nature and society.
This project has been delivered through the Nature for Climate funding from Defra. You can read more via their Put Down Roots campaign here.
If you would like to plant trees or for further information, contact Caitlin on 07507 719469 or send her an email.
Project funder
