Funding/materials for London landowners to support treescape creation

Last updated Jun 2025

Forestry Commission – England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) 

• Eligibility: Land managers including owner occupiers, tenants, landlords or licensors based in London
• Site size: Need to be looking to increase tree canopy cover on a total area of 1ha+ BUT you can group sites of 0.1 ha+ near to one another totalling 1 ha+ so, for example, you could submit a group of specific priority sites for treescape creation identified within a given borough in support of the London Tree Ring vision.  You can even submit an application also including areas you don’t own as long as you have a letter evidencing the commitment of the landowner.
• Funding: Better than it’s ever been!  Covers 100% of the capital costs, capped at £10,200 per hectare, plus up to an additional £12,700 in stackable payments when delivering wider benefits to society, nature recovery and the environment.  You can enable the use of more funding to cover project management if you involve trained volunteers in the planting to help with keeping costs down.  Multi-year support to cover the costs of getting the trees fully established is available.
• Deadlines: On the weblink below it unfortunately says you need to apply by 30^th June.  This is misinformation!  In reality there is no fixed deadline.  However, FC do actively encourage you to apply sooner rather than later to allow time for successful grants to lead to action in the 2025/2026 planting season.
• More information: England Woodland Creation Offer – GOV.UK
• First step: In the first instance simply phone 0300 067 4420 or email EWCO@forestrycommission.gov.uk to express an interest in applying. The EWCO team can support you on pulling an application together.

Tree Council – Trees Outside Woodland Fund

Eligibility: Funding is open to Local Authorities in England and registered charities with a turnover of over £100,000 which are planning to undertake a tree planting project in England. This fund can be used to support tree planting efforts in parks, on streets, urban farms and food growing spaces and in urban hedgerows.

Funding available: Funded by HM Government and delivered in partnership by the Tree Council, Natural England and DEFRA, grants of between £10,000 and £40,000 are available per application including additional capital items. Work that can be funded includes (but is not limited to) hedgerows, orchards, agroforestry, riparian, Miyawaki plantings
and standard trees (including urban street trees or in hedgerows).  Trees must be bare root or cell-grown, UK-sourced and grown, native and non-native trees of an appropriate size for your project. They fund whips, feathers, maidens and standards (up to 10 -12cm girth). Trees must comply with bio-secure tree sourcing requirements (see sourcing your trees). They can fund establishment aids: Sustainable tree guards, ties e.g. rubber or hessian, stakes, organic mulch/
biodegradable mulch mats and soil amendments (e.g. biochar).  They can also cover other capital items to support tree establishment such as irrigation equipment, PPE, and external contractor costs – however these other capital items can only make up a maximum of 20% of the total project cost.

Deadline: The fund Is operating a 2 stage rolling application process, open until 31st October 2025, or until all the funding is allocated – whichever comes first – so get in there quickly!

More Information: Visit the fund website here https://treecouncil.org.uk/grants-and-guidance/our-grants/trees-outside-woodland-fund/ or email grants@treecouncil.org.uk

First Step: Fill out an expression of interest form found at the link shown above. The Tree Council will provide feedback and If your application is shortlisted then you will be invited to submit a full application at stage 2.

People’s Trust for Endangered Species – Orchard Grants 

• Eligibility: Any owner or manager of an existing traditional orchard, or existing or new community orchard.
• Site size: Any
• Funding: They are flexible and accommodating!  Grants will pay up to £20 per tree for fruit trees on a vigorous rootstock. Applicants can make the choice on what variety of tree options they would like to plant in their orchard as long as the rootstock and trees are of a vigorous rootstock. (with a few exceptions). They encourage you to choose local or heritage varieties suited to growing in your area. PTES will contact you by email to confirm your application and let you know the maximum outlay that can be offered through this grant. This Grant will cover up to four fruit trees per quarter acre of orchard (10 per quarter hectare) with larger orchards assessed on a case by case basis. They offer a list of suggested suppliers to source trees for this grant, with old and interesting varieties available.  If applicants would prefer, this Grant can provide rootstock and grafting kits direct, supplied in multiples of five.
• Deadlines: Orchard Grants programme is open to receiving applications for next planting season, Applications are considered on a first come first served basis so get your applications in as soon as you can! Decisions will be in September.
• More information: Find information on their suggested tree suppliers and the application process here:
• First step: Fill out their orchard questionnaire so that your orchard has an ID code and complete the grant application form with details about yourself, the orchard and number of trees you would like to plant.

CPRE London’s Hedgerow Heroes  

• Eligibility: London landowners can apply as long as they have a named partner community volunteer group, such as a friends of the park group, which will undertake planting new hedgerow, infilling existing hedgerow, or hedgelaying.
• Funding: Up to £10 per metre of hedgerow to be planted – so for example to plant 200m of hedgerow – grants of up to £2,000 are available.  These can be used to cover the cost of whips (we recommend small whips which often catch up to larger whips planted at the same time and may keep growing faster for decades), sustainable tree guards (we only encourage use of these on every whip in areas affected by deer or rabbits although using a few guards every metre or so can also be useful where it is felt necessary to improve visibility of the new planting), water buts where needed to support adequate watering in dry periods, or mulch to prepare or enrich the soil if this is not available from free sources.
• First step: In the first instance please just email Tom Pegrum on hedgerows@cprelondon.org.uk with the name of your site and of the friends group or other community group with which you would like to work to add or enhance hedgerow on your site and you will be sent a short application form and details of the next up coming deadline. Advice and support on planning your hedgerow is available.

Thames Chase Community Forest – Trees for Climate grants

• Eligibility: Applies to land in in the community forest “halo” area which includes the boroughs of Havering, Barking & Dagenham and Redbridge.
• Site Size:: Minimum 0.1 ha; Sites for hedgerows also eligible.
• Funding:: Can cover 100% of woodland creation costs. Maintenance payments for up to 15 years. Supports a wide range of planting types including large-scale woodlands, low-density/mixed habitat schemes, hedgerows, orchards and woodland pasture.
• Deadlines: Rolling application process — you can apply year-round. However, funding is limited, so early engagement (especially before October) is strongly encouraged to secure funds in time for the 2025/6 planting season.
• More information: org.uk/landowners
• First step: Contact Thames Chase Community Forest team to express interest. They’ll walk you through site suitability, grant stacking options, and help co-develop a plan. For enquiries please contact Dave Bigden on 07746 593527 or bigden@thameschase.org.uk

SUEZ – Landfill Communities Fund

• Eligibility: Open to not-for-profit organisations located within 2.5 mile radius of a qualifying SUEZ waste processing site.  If your site is in outer London it is worth entering its postcode to check eligibility here.  Applicants must own or lease the project site with at least 5 years remaining on the lease. Projects must deliver lasting physical improvements to a single site for the benefit of people, habitats, or species.
• Site size: No minimum requirement,. Applications which take place at multiple sites cannot be considered. Suitable for hedgerow planting, habitat creation, or public greenspace upgrades within the funding zone.
• Funding: Smaller Projects Fund: £1,000 to £20,000 (preferred for first-time applicants). Primary Fund: £1,000 to £50,000 (more competitive; project budget must exceed £250,000).The project must start in 6 months and complete in 12 months of fund being awarded. All projects must include a 11.5% third-party contribution to unlock the grant.  Funding is typically awarded for the purchase of materials/equipment and the appointment of a contractor to undertake the improvement work. A request for funding for salaries, running costs, project management or design fees can not be considered.
• Deadlines: There are normally four funding rounds each year, the next closing date is 3 September 2025. Decision by end November 2025.
• More information: SUEZ Communities Fund – GrantScape
• First step: Create an online account on GrantScape. Complete Stage 1 eligibility check. If invited, submit Stage 2 application within 12 weeks (includes budget, permissions, site photos). 

National Lottery Heritage Funding

• Eligibility: Private landowners are eligible if they can clearly demonstrate that their project has a significant heritage element and delivers community benefits.
• Funding range: From £10,000 to £10 million, depending on the scope of the project. Through the Heritage fund, the National Lottery is awarding grants for nature projects, including a focus on woodland creation and habitat conservation. Heritage funds anything of value that you would like to pass on to future generations, putting into focus the importance of preserving our natural landscapes and woodlands in the UK. With support available for strategic and landscape-scale projects – both rural and urban – that help habitats and species thrive, reducing and mitigating the impacts of climate change, while helping people connect to our unique natural heritage.
• Collaborative projects: Partnerships between landowners and local heritage or environment organisations can strengthen an application
• Deadlines: £10,000 – £250,000 applications open year round. Anything above £250,000 are open to quarterly applications.
• More information: National Lottery Heritage Funding see See: https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/funding/what-we-fund
• First step: You can submit an enquiry before submitting an application and get feedback within 10 working days see Project Enquiry: £10,000 to £250,000 | The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Woodland Trust’s MOREwoods programme

• Eligibility: Eligible projects must plant at least 500 trees on at least half a hectare BUT the half a hectare total area can be made up of multiple smaller blocks of at least 0.1ha each (for example, a group of sites identified as priorities as part of the London Tree Ring project).  Focused on smaller landowners, the Woodland Trust particularly targets those looking to create smaller woodland areas – including in larger “gardens” or smallholdings that may be too small for Forestry Commission grants.
• Funding: For self-planted schemes: Up to 75% of total costs (plants, guards, and associated support). Each project will be considered individually.  For contractor planted schemes 60% subsidy is available for projects over 1 hectare.  While this scheme doesn’t cover 100% of costs if you can get co-funding the big bonus is that they do free site visits to advise on woodland design and bespoke tree mix for the site.
• Next step:  now open for next planting season.

It is also possible to get small grants to support on treescape planning

Forestry Commission – Woodland Planning Creation Grant

• Eligibility: Landowners, land managers, public bodies (excluding Forestry England) based in England with potential for 5ha+ woodland creation, including those in London, can apply. This can be across multiple land parcels if each is at least 0.5 ha and 20m wide). Landscape-scale applications across multiple holdings are also welcome, even if you don’t own all the land — you’ll just need written landowner support. This grant is best suited for boroughs, estates, larger institutional landowners, or collaborative partnerships in London aiming for strategic, joined-up planting across sites.
• Site size:: Minimum 5 ha total area, composed of blocks of 0.5 ha or more, each at least 20m wide.
• Funding:: Paid in 2 stages: Stage 1: £1,500 fixed payment for desk-based site assessment (constraints & opportunities). Stage 2: £150 per hectare, minus Stage 1 amount, for developing a detailed UK Forestry Standard-compliant woodland design plan. Minimum total grant is £2,000 (if both stages are completed) and maximum grant cap is £30,500. Supplementary payments also available for required specialist surveys (e.g. peat depth, archaeology, deer impact).
• Deadlines:: Apply at any time – rolling applications accepted year-round. Applications must undergo consultation and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening during Stage 2. Processing usually takes up to 20 working days, but may be longer for sensitive sites or novel proposals.
• First step: Contact SELwoodlandcreation@forestrycommission.gov.uk  to check site eligibility and discuss your proposal. Once approved for Stage 1, you’ll need to submit a WCPG application form before starting any work.

Forestry Commission – Agroforestry plan grant

• Eligibility: Only agricultural land is is eligible for this funding .  It is particularly relevant for London-based farms, community growers, or educational/agricultural demonstration sites and there is no minimum site size..
• Site type: This plan supports integrating trees into active farmland — it does not cover woodland, traditional orchards, or wood pasture but does cover work on planning tree wind breaks or hedgerows
• Funding: Flat rate of £1,268.08 per agroforestry plan to help cover the cost of assessing your land and designing an agroforestry system. Can be combined with other capital items such as tree planting and supplements for species diversity.
• Deadlines: There is no fixed application window listed, but funding is subject to budget availability, and early engagement is encouraged to align with planting seasons. You must have a capital grants agreement in place before applying.
• First step: Download and complete the Agroforestry Plan Template from GOV.UK then phone: 0300 067 4420 or email: southeast.fce@forestrycommission.gov.uk to discuss your idea