£2m funding to boost tree growing plans in Scotland
● Nurseries and farmers able to tap into new funding ● Money from UK, Scottish and Welsh governments
Scottish Forestry is to make more than £2 million available to tree nurseries as part of efforts to create more woodland across the country.
The funding will also be available to other small forestry businesses and farmers. For the first time, through a new agreement with the UK and Welsh governments, nurseries in England and Wales that supply trees to Scotland will also be able to apply for the money.
The support is part of Scottish Forestry’s harvesting and processing grant, which will help farmers and foresters to buy specialist forestry equipment such as poly tunnels, seed trays, mounding equipment and small-scale sawmills for wood processing.
The funding is made up of £1m from Defra, £1m from the Scottish Government and £50,000 from the government of Wales.
The Scottish Government aims to plant 12,000 hectares of trees and woodlands annually and will increase that to 15,000 hectares per year by 2025. The UK government’s target is to plant 30,000 hectares a year by 2025.
Stuart Goodall, chief executive of forestry body Confor, said: “This is great news, and I welcome Scottish Government’s rapid response to the concerns that Confor has been raising. Small businesses and forest nurseries have been hit by the effects of Covid-19, and while there are reasons to be optimistic about the longer term, there is a real need for this support now to help those businesses contribute to a green recovery.
“Tree planting and sustainable production of wood has been one of Scotland’s success stories in recent years and we have the opportunity to help set a robust course towards net zero by 2045, creating jobs and removing more carbon from the atmosphere.”
Rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing said: “Forestry has a key role to play in helping the rural economy recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. I am also determined to see tree planting increased in Scotland to help meet our climate change targets.
“Assisting smaller scale businesses to grow and become more resilient is key to achieving these ambitions, and to maintaining livelihoods and creating more job opportunities in remote rural areas. This funding supports investment by forestry businesses in new specialised equipment to increase capacity, expand the business and sustain employment.”
UK government forestry minister Lord Goldsmith added: “We know the impacts coronavirus has had on tree nurseries, and I am therefore delighted we are contributing much needed support for this sector.
“Growing and protecting the UK’S forests is an integral part of our green recovery from coronavirus.”