Tree Health

This is an old version of the page

Date published: 23 February, 2018

Date superseded: 20 March, 2018

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

This option provides support to prevent the spread of Phytophthora ramorum (P. ramorum).

This option helps with the restoration of forests affected by P. ramorum by supporting the work to remove affected trees and carry out subsequent replanting.

Grant support consists of a number of standard cost capital items. These are available for work to help prevent the spread of disease and restore affected woodlands. The eligible items are listed below in the table under eligible operations.

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

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.

If you are a crofter you may have to notify the Crofting Commission of your application. See the Crofting Commission website for further details.

Your site must have a Statutory Plant Health Notice served on it that specifically requires the site to be cleared within a defined timescale.

The Restocking – Delivering Diversity and Resilience in Woodlands grant is also available on land within the designated management zone for P. ramorum. This grant will be paid on the affected land within the management zone and any other areas that are required for reasonable access as agreed with your local conservancy office. If you receive the grant for Restocking – Delivering Diversity and Resilience in Woodlands then you are not eligible for the Woodland Improvement Grant – Restructuring Regeneration grant.

We will only approve your application if you agree to replant any area of woodland that you clear.

You must be or have a Forestry Commission Scotland approved agent to qualify for the Agent Services capital items. This is our current list of approved agents.

If you would like to register as an approved agent, you must complete the agent pre-qualification questionnaire and send it to:

Grants and Regulations Section
Forestry Commission Scotland
231 Corstorphine Road
Edinburgh EH12 7AT

Alternatively, email the completed form to FCScotlandenquiries@forestry.gsi.gov.uk.

If you need to fell trees that are not included in the Statutory Plant Health Notice area, such as for access or adjacent areas, you must get an approved felling licence or Forest Plan amendment before you start to fell.

Capital grant operations that can be applied for under this option are listed in the table below.

'Per hectare of infected land' refers to the net area of the required operation (e.g. tree clearance, rhododendron control, cut, spray and burn) within the Statutory Plan Health Notice area boundary.

Capital grant operations
Phytophthora ramorum 
Agent Services – Advisory£200
Agent Services – Compliance£500
Agent Services – Harvesting and Marketing£1,000
Tree Clearance – Larch Younger Than 26 Years – Clearing Saw – First 5 Hectares£600/hectare of infected land
Tree Clearance – Larch Younger Than 26 Years – Clearing Saw – Hectares Above 5 Hectares up to 10 Hectares£450/hectare of infected land
Tree Clearance – Larch Younger Than 26 Years – Clearing Saw – Hectares in Excess of 10 Hectares£300/hectare of infected land
Tree Clearance – Larch Younger Than 26 Years – Other Mechanised Equipment – First 5 Hectares£1,200/hectare of infected land
Tree Clearance – Larch Younger Than 26 Years – Other Mechanised Equipment – Hectares Above 5 Hectares up to 10 Hectares£900/hectare of infected land
Tree Clearance – Larch Younger Than 26 Years – Other Mechanised Equipment – Hectares in Excess of 10 Hectares£600/hectare of infected land
Uneconomic Felling of Larch on Islands - First 5 Hectares£2,400/hectare of infected land
Uneconomic Felling – Larch 26 Years or Older – First 5 Hectares£1,200/hectare of infected land
Uneconomic Felling – Larch 26 Years or Older – Hectares Above 5 Hectares up to 10 Hectares£900/hectare of infected land
Uneconomic Felling – Larch 26 Years or Older – Hectares in Excess of 10 Hectares£600/hectare of infected land
Restocking – Delivering Diversity and Resilience in Woodlands£1,400/hectare of infected land
Rhododendron Eradication – Manual – Light£3,500/hectare of infected land
Rhododendron Eradication – Manual – Medium£5,500/hectare of infected land
Rhododendron Eradication – Manual – Difficult£7,300/hectare of infected land
Rhododendron Eradication – Mechanised – Light£2,200/hectare of infected land
Rhododendron Eradication – Mechanised – Medium£3,400/hectare of infected land
Rhododendron Eradication – Mechanised – Difficult£5,600/hectare of infected land
Rhododendron Eradication – Foliar Spray Treatment£200/hectare of infected land
Rhododendron Eradication – Follow-up£200/hectare of infected land
Rhododendron Eradication – Stem Injection – Medium£3,000/hectare of infected land
Rhododendron Eradication – Stem Injection – Difficult£4,500/hectare of infected land

We need supporting information to help assess your application.

You must give the details listed below:

  • a copy of your Statutory Plant Health Notice, where required
  • provide maps that show the following information:
    - perimeter of the affected area
    - the individual associated capital elements
    - restocking plans, where relevant

General mapping guidance for the Forestry Grant Scheme

We have set agreed financial budgets for each of the options under the Forestry Grant Scheme.

In order to ensure that we make the most cost-effective use of the money available and to meet Scottish Government objectives, we will assess each application using scoring criteria.

The criteria will be written as appropriate to each Forestry Grant Scheme option; please refer to Scoring criteria and clearing process for details.

Each option within your application must meet the threshold score to be considered for approval. In achieving the threshold score, your option must score against each criterion except for additional benefit.

The scores will then be used as the basis for allocating funding on a competitive basis through the Forestry Grant Scheme clearing process.

Delivery of option benefits

1 POINT – for applications that meet the eligibility requirements but do not deliver any of the benefits detailed below.

3 POINTS – for applications that provide one or more of the following in addition to meeting the eligibility requirements:

  • applications for the management of woodlands affected by (P. ramorum) which are located within either P. ramorum risk zone 2 or 3. Refer to the P. ramorum risks zones in the 'Plant Health' folder of the Forestry Commission Scotland Map Viewer to confirm your application meets this requirement

5 POINTS – for applications that meet the three-point criteria above and the criteria below:

  • applications for the management of woodlands affected by P. ramorum which are located in ‘P.ramorum risk zone 3’

Supplementary point – additional benefit

1 POINT – will be awarded, as an additional point, where:

  • applications for woodlands affected by P. ramorum clearly demonstrate a commitment to remove the infected trees before the next period of sporulation (dispersal of the spores from the needles) begins

You must claim your capital items on the Forestry Grant Scheme manual Standard Costs Capital Items claim form.

Claim forms and guidance are available on the claims and payments page.

You should only submit a claim once you have satisfactorily completed the work.

We may inspect the capital grant operations you are claiming to ensure that the work has been carried out to the correct specification.

Information about P. ramorum

Section Change
Land ownershipUpdated link to Crofting Commission website
Other eligibility criteriaWe've updated the List of approved agents
OperationsLink added to new Uneconomic Felling of Larch on Islands - First 5 Hectares page

Click 'Download this page' to create a printable version of this guidance you can save or print out.

Forestry Grant Scheme – Tree Health archive

Related content