Central Scotland Green Network Contribution

Date published: 23 February, 2018

For recent changes to this guidance, please see the bottom of the page.

Aim
Factsheet
Grant support
Eligibility criteria
Central Scotland Green Network Contribution supporting statement
Further information
Recent changes
Previous versions
Download guidance

Aim

The Central Scotland Green Network is a development within the National Planning Framework. It aims to restore and transform the landscape, whilst making a significant contribution to Scotland's sustainable economic development.

The Central Scotland Green Network Contribution is a capital item that offers a capital payment in addition to the woodland creation initial planting payment.

Factsheet

If you're wondering if this item is right for you, we've produced a factsheet on the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution for new woodland creation in Central Scotland, Ayrshire and parts of Fife.

Grant support

Within the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution Area the capital payment recognises the additional costs of establishment where your application supports the delivery of the relevant forest and woodland strategy and where you apply for the following woodland creation options:

Conifer
Diverse Conifer
Broadleaves
Native Upland Birch
Native Broadleaves
Small or Farm Woodland

Central Scotland Green Network – Core Area Contribution	£2500 per hectare
Central Scotland Green Network – Outer Core Area Contribution	£1500 per hectare
Central Scotland Green Network – Fringe Area Contribution	£750 per hectare

For each woodland creation option to be eligible for the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution, over 50 per cent of that option’s area must sit within the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution Area.

The contribution will be eligible on up to 40 hectares per application in the Core and Fringe areas and 65 hectares per application in the Outer Core area.

You can plant-up more than 40 or 65 hectares respectively, but we will cap the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution at the prescribed limits.

Scottish Forestry staff will assess applications to ensure that no two applications have been artificially sub-divided.

As part of the online application process, applicants will be required to select the appropriate fringe, core or outer core rate, for each eligible option, as a capital item from the list of capital grant operations as detailed in the Capital grant options table on the Woodland Creation page.

Eligibility criteria

In an application, each different woodland creation option has to be designated as core, outer core or fringe – you cannot allocate more than one to the same option even if that same option is split into geographically separate blocks.

Different woodland creation options can have different contribution types if your application is for woodland blocks where one woodland creation option boundary is mainly in one Contribution Area and where a different woodland creation option boundary is mainly in another.

Where your proposed planting overlaps the Contribution Area boundaries, the type of Central Scotland Green Network Contribution Area (Core or Fringe) that you apply for, per woodland creation option, will be the area where the majority (50 per cent or more) of that woodland creation option is located.

If the boundary of your woodland creation proposal overlaps a Contribution Area boundary, use the PDF below to work out which Central Scotland Green Network Contribution rate will apply.

Spatial guidance to help you locate your application within this area is available in the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution Area layer of the Scottish Forestry Map Viewer. You should use this layer to find out if your application sits in the core, outer core or fringe area.

To be eligible for the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution, your application must support the type of woodland expansion identified in your local authority’s forestry and woodland strategy:

Proposed Woodland Creation planting option	Must meet local forestry and woodland strategy objectives for:
Conifer	Softwood expansion
Diverse Conifer	Softwood or mixed woodland expansion
Broadleaves	Mixed woodland expansion
Native Upland Birch	Native woodland expansion
Native Broadleaves	Native woodland expansion
Small or Farm Woodland	Mixed woodland expansion

You should explain how your proposal supports the forestry and woodland strategy in your Central Scotland Green Network Contribution supporting statement.

You can use the Central Scotland Green Network FWS data layer in the FGS Target and Eligibility Areas folder on the Scottish Forestry Map Viewer. to help locate your proposal within a forestry and woodland strategy area.