Rural Payments and Services

The Central Scotland Green Network is a development within the National Planning Framework. It aims to restore and transform the landscape, whilst making a significant contribution to Scotland's sustainable economic development.

The Central Scotland Green Network Contribution is a capital item that offers a capital payment in addition to the woodland creation initial planting payment.

The capital payment recognises the additional costs of establishment where your application supports the delivery of the relevant forest and woodland strategy.

The CSGN Core Area Contribution (£2,500/ha) capital item is now available to all woodland creation proposals within the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution Area. The contribution is eligible on up to 40 hectares per application. The Outer Core Area Contribution (£1,500) is now available throughout the rest of Scotland on eligible Woodland Creation options. You can check whether you are eligible for this rate using the Scottish Forestry Map Viewer.

Capital grants are also available for operations such as fencing and tree protection.

• Basic Payment Scheme entitlements will still apply on eligible afforested land

Payment rates can be found in the tables below.

Table 1 – Payment rates for woodland creation in standard areas

Table 2 – Payment rates for woodland creation in target areas

*Only Woodland Creation Options listed in the tables above are eligible

**Applicants can choose Annual maintenance for 5 years or Establishment operations phase 1 and 2, but not both

As part of the online application process, applicants will be required to select the core rate for each eligible option as a capital item from the list of capital grant operations as detailed in the Capital grant options table on the Woodland Creation page.

For each woodland creation option to be eligible for the Central Scotland Green Network Core Area Contribution, over 50 per cent of that option’s area must sit within the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution Area. You can check if you are eligible for this rate using the Scottish Forestry Map Viewer.

Scottish Forestry staff will assess applications to ensure that no two applications have been artificially sub-divided.

Where your proposed planting overlaps the Contribution Area boundaries, the type of Central Scotland Green Network Contribution Area (Core or Outer Core) that you apply for, per woodland creation option, will be the area where the majority (50 per cent or more) of that woodland creation option is located.

If the boundary of your woodland creation proposal overlaps a Contribution Area boundary, use the PDF below to work out which Central Scotland Green Network Contribution rate will apply.

To be eligible for the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution, your application must support the type of woodland expansion identified in your local authority’s forestry and woodland strategy:

• Glasgow and Clyde Valley
• Edinburgh and Lothians
• Fife
• Stirling and Clackmannanshire
• Ayrshire and Arran
• Falkirk
• List of Local Authority Woodland Strategies

You can use the Central Scotland Green Network FWS data layer in the FGS Target and Eligibility Areas folder on the Scottish Forestry Map Viewer to help locate your proposal within a forestry and woodland strategy area.

The Central Scotland Green Network website gives more information on the initiative, and its key themes and priorities.

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