Rural Payments and Services

This is for the removal of gorse to clear land ahead of tree planting to create new woodland. An application for gorse removal must be made in combination with a submission for Woodland Creation.

This operation is available in conjunction with all woodland creation options.

Eligible land: areas of land with significant contiguous gorse, agreed by the local conservancy, which is required to be removed to provide tree planting sites for new woodland creation.

The area of gorse removal cannot exceed the area of initial planting for woodland creation.

Gorse removal work must be done between the beginning of August and the end of February.

Removal of gorse can be carried out by:

• mechanical treatment – gorse should be controlled using machines with appropriate fittings to cut or flail plants as low as possible to the ground to reduce regrowth
• manual treatment – gorse should be controlled by using hand, chain or clearing saws and plants should be cut as low as possible to the ground to reduce regrowth

Payment for gorse removal will be made against the total net area of gorse removed.

• you must record the area designated for treatment on a map and provide details of the clearance operation in the Woodland Creation Operational Plan
• the map must include details of the extent and percentage cover of the gorse to evidence the net area of hectares you will be claiming grant on

Your application and proposed work must comply with the UK Forestry Standard.

SNH Peatland Action Scrub Clearance guidance note