Rural Payments and Services

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Table of Contents

• Aim
• Grant support
• Eligibility criteria
• How to claim
• Amendments and variations
• Inspections
• Recent changes
• Previous versions
• Download guidance

To support a range of activities in existing woodlands that will:

• increase species and structural diversity through low impact silvicultural systems management
• encourage natural regeneration to expand native woodlands
• bring native woodlands and designated woodland features into active management and good ecological condition
• support management of rural and urban woodlands for public access
• control grey squirrels where they are a threat to the red squirrel population
• control predators to benefit capercaillie and black grouse
• reduce deer impacts to a level that will allow regeneration of conifer and broadleaved species

The grant support for this category includes nine Sustainable Management of Forests options.

Click on the options below to get more detailed eligibility requirements and the supporting information that you must provide to help us assess your application.

All payments are made for up to a maximum of five years.

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

Land ownership

If you are a tenant then a landlord’s declaration must be provided with your application. The control of the land must extend for the duration of the proposed contract.

If you are a contractual licensee then the Contractual License must be provided with your application. The control of the land must extend for the duration of the proposed contract.

Please note that if you are a crofter you may have to notify the Crofting Commission of your application. Go to the Crofting Commission website for further details.

Compatibility of options

Grants available under this category are paid annually and you must claim them on your Single Application Form.

You may need to submit other documents to us to support your Single Application Form claim. These documents must be submitted annually to enable us to pay your claim.

Please check the individual option pages for more detail.

We recognise that from time to time you may need to amend your approved application due to unforeseen circumstances. If you would like to make changes, contact your local office to seek agreement to variations.

Please note that we cannot increase the value of the grants awarded in your contract by a variation due to the competitive nature of our grants approval process. You must still tell us if you intend to make any changes to the agreed work in your contract.

We aim to carry out inspections of claims between July and November of each year within Forestry Commission Scotland’s claims payment timeframes that will be developed within our customer charter.

During the inspection process we will liaise with our Rural Payments and Inspections Division colleagues to ensure that your work meets the cross compliance checks required for other agricultural and rural land-based grants.

We will let you know the results of our inspection as soon as it has been completed.

We will tell you if you have not met the minimum standards, the implications of this and what should happen next.

If your claim is authorised for payment, you can expect payment at the start of the following calendar year.

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