Central Scotland Green Network Contribution

Date published: 24 November, 2023

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

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. In recognition of the significant additional costs of creating new woodlands, the Fringe Area Contribution rate is also available for woodland creation proposals outwith the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution area.

If you're wondering if this item is right for you, we've produced a factsheet on the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution for new woodland creation in Central Scotland, Ayrshire and parts of Fife.

Within the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution Area or for creating woods outwith the contribution area, the capital payment recognises the additional costs of establishment where your application supports the delivery of the relevant forest and woodland strategy and where you apply for the following woodland creation options:

  • Conifer
  • Diverse Conifer
  • Broadleaves
  • Native Upland Birch
  • Native Broadleaves
  • Small or Farm Woodland

Central Scotland Green Network – Core Area Contribution £2500 per hectare
Central Scotland Green Network – Outer Core Area Contribution £1500 per hectare
Central Scotland Green Network – Fringe Area Contribution £750 per hectare

For each woodland creation option to be eligible for the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution, over 50 per cent of that option’s area must sit within the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution Area. The Fringe Area Contribution can be applied for elsewhere in Scotland, outwith the contribution area*.

The contribution will be eligible on up to 40 hectares per application in the Core and Fringe areas and capped at £100,000 per application in the Outer Core area. For applications elsewhere in Scotland the fringe area contribution rate will be capped at 40 hectares or £30,000.

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

As part of the online application process, applicants will be required to select the appropriate fringe, core or outer 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.

* Note: Whilst the Fringe Area contribution of £750/ha will now be available throughout Scotland and not just in Central Scotland, you will have to state that your woodland creation is within the Central Scotland Green Network area when asked during the online application process of FGS. This will be the only way to access this additional grant as, to release the benefit to customers immediately, we are not awaiting IT development that would take some months to finalise.

In an application, each different woodland creation option has to be designated as core, outer core or fringe – you cannot allocate more than one to the same option even if that same option is split into geographically separate blocks. Only the fringe area contribution is available for applications elsewhere in Scotland.

Different woodland creation options can have different contribution types if your application is for woodland blocks where one woodland creation option boundary is mainly in one Contribution Area and where a different woodland creation option boundary is mainly in another.

Where your proposed planting overlaps the Contribution Area boundaries, the type of Central Scotland Green Network Contribution Area (Core or Fringe) 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.

Spatial guidance to help you locate your application within this area is available in the Central Scotland Green Network Contribution Area layer of the Scottish Forestry Map Viewer. You should use this layer to find out if your application sits in the core, outer core or fringe area. The fringe area contribution is available for applications elsewhere in Scotland.

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:

Proposed Woodland Creation planting option Must meet local forestry and woodland strategy objectives for:
Conifer Softwood expansion
Diverse Conifer Softwood or mixed woodland expansion
Broadleaves Mixed woodland expansion
Native Upland Birch Native woodland expansion
Native Broadleaves Native woodland expansion
Small or Farm Woodland Mixed woodland expansion

You should explain how your proposal supports the forestry and woodland strategy in your Central Scotland Green Network Contribution supporting statement for applications in the Core or Outer Core areas, or in your Woodland Creation Operational Plan for applications in the Fringe area.

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.

You must clearly explain how your application fits with the relevant forestry and woodland strategy, and how it will aid the delivery of local goals for woodland expansion. This information must be provided in your Central Scotland Green Network Contribution supporting statement.

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

Information about Scottish Forestry activity within the Central Scotland Green Network, including a map of the area and contact details, is available on the Scottish Forestry website.

Section New text
Factsheet Factsheet document has been updated
Grant support Outer core area contribution added to table
Central Scotland Green Network Contribution supporting statement Template has been updated
Whole page Fringe Area contribution now available throughout Scotland

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