England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO)

Overview

The England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) is the Forestry Commission's main grant for planting new woodland in England. It pays towards the cost of creating the woodland and then helps you look after it while the young trees establish. According to GOV.UK, you can get up to £10,200 per hectare for the planting and related capital works, such as standard cost items and infrastructure for woodland management or public access. On top of that, there is an annual maintenance payment of £400 per hectare for 15 years. If your woodland's location and design deliver wider public benefits, such as nature recovery, water quality or access for local people, you can apply for additional contributions of up to £12,700 per hectare. A low sensitivity land payment of £1,100 per hectare is available if your proposal sits entirely within a low sensitivity area for woodland creation. All planting and management must follow the UK Forestry Standard. The minimum area is 1 hectare, which can be made up of several blocks of at least 0.1 hectares each. Woodland must normally be at least 20 metres wide, or 10 metres for riparian buffers and shelterbelts. Timing matters. You can apply at any time, but applications take 3 to 5 months to process. To have a good chance of an agreement in time for the next planting season, GOV.UK says your complete application should be in by 31 May. If you apply after October, an offer for the coming season is unlikely. Who it suits: farmers and landowners who want to plant at least a hectare of new woodland, including shelterbelts and riverside buffers. If you are planning 5 hectares or more, consider the Woodland Creation Planning Grant first, which pays for the design work. GOV.UK does not state a closing date for EWCO. Official source: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/england-woodland-creation-offer. Last checked by GrantMatch on 14 October 2026.