Rural Payments and Services

The aim of this option is to benefit areas of ancient wood pasture by maintaining open-grown ancient and veteran trees, and encouraging regeneration by managing the grazing of the open pasture beneath, or by planting new trees.

These trees provide a valuable and rare habitat for a variety of wildlife, and also have landscape value.

Grassland that has ancient wood pasture which is grazed at any part of the year by livestock is eligible.

You should not include areas of land covering rocks, scree, water, dense bracken etc. We will check this using the same approach we use to check land for the Basic Payment Scheme.

Assessing your land eligibility

This option is available throughout Scotland.

You must provide evidence that veteran trees are currently present and have been present on the site for at least 150 years. The area must be marked as wood pasture on 1st edition six inch 1860 maps.

National Library of Scotland – Maps

You must identify on a map the location, and provide photographs of the area to be managed.

You must manage the same location and extent each year for the duration of your contract.

In addition:

• you must graze the area subject to payment with cattle only, and adhere to an approved grazing regime defining the livestock units and dates

• do not cut or remove any standing or fallen deadwood, unless with prior written notification
• do not plough, cultivate or reseed the area
• do not carry out supplementary livestock feeding on the managed area
• do not spray, except for the spot-treatment of injurious weeds (requires prior written notification) or treatment of invasive species (requires prior written approval)
• you must maintain a diary

You can claim £48.99 per hectare per year.

There are separate capital items to support management of ancient wood pasture:

• Replacement or Planting of Individual Trees Within Ancient Wood Pasture or Hedgerows
• Post and Rail Tree Guards

The inspectors will check:

• you have managed the same area each year for the duration of your contract
• you have grazed the area subject to payment with cattle only, and adhered to an approved grazing regime defining the livestock units and dates
• you have not cut or removed any standing or fallen deadwood, unless with prior written notification
• you have not ploughed, cultivated or resown the area
• you have not carried out supplementary livestock feeding on the managed area
• you have not sprayed, unless with prior written notification or approval as appropriate
• you have maintained a diary

Supporting guidance is available for this option.