Forestry Commission Grants

Spruce Site Assessment

Forestry Commission

The Spruce Site Assessment grant helps you understand what spruce you have and what it might cost to deal with it. It is run by the Forestry Commission and is open now. It pays a fixed £2,000. You can use it to assess your woodland, so you know how much spruce is there and what condition it is in. That then helps you plan for possible felling and restocking. The assessment can also help you evaluate the costs of felling spruce and identify funding available to help with those costs. The grant is for landowners and land managers in England who have spruce trees on land inside the Ips typographus proactive spruce removal area. Landowners can also use an agent. The page asks you to check the map to see if your land falls inside the area. The wider aim is to reduce the risk of Ips typographus, the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle, by encouraging the removal of material that might be susceptible to it. If outbreaks are found, Statutory Plant Health Notices can be issued. These require the owner to take specific urgent forestry actions. The scheme opened on 1 October 2025 and closes on 31 March 2029. One practical point: only a limited number of agreements are available, and they are offered on a first-come first-served basis. It is worth applying sooner rather than later. You apply online through the Find a grant service. Official source: https://www.find-government-grants.service.gov.uk/grants/spruce-site-assessment-1. Last checked by GrantMatch on 16 October 2026.