Scottish farmers growing their business through tree planting

Scottish Forestry, one of two new agencies created in April 2019 to replace the Forestry Commission in Scotland, is taking a new approach to promoting the diversification of farming businesses’ north of the border by highlighting the opportunities for landowners to maximise their business productivity, improve sustainability and add value by planting trees on underproductive/marginal land.

New woodlands have the potential to create an additional long-term income stream for farming businesses’ through attractive grant funding, while also delivering an important source of low carbon, low cost wood fuel, while at the same time as offering tax incentives, livestock, crop productivity and environmental benefits. 

Peter Gascoigne of Gascoigne Farms, Biggar, is just one of a growing number of landowners/managers benefitting from the integration of forestry into their existing agricultural business, having transformed his farm business using trees. 

Peter has successfully maximised his business productivity, creating shelter belts for improved livestock performance, a tax-free asset for the future and has reduced his business carbon footprint, whilst importantly securing his farm for future generations. In doing all this, he was awarded funding through the Scottish Rural Development Programme’s Forestry Grant Scheme(FGS), receiving £338,321 for 81.23 hectares of woodland planting, including a maintenance grant spread over five years.

Peter said: “We have reduced livestock numbers by half, yet at the same time maintained overall agricultural productivity, replacing the hill sheep with a higher quality lowland breed and planting lower quality hill ground with commercial forestry. Better quality in-by land is retained for grazing and the newly planted shelters belts are providing animal husbandry benefits.”  

“Benefits towards animal husbandry as a result of woodland shelter belts outweigh any conversion of agricultural land to trees – it’s about looking at the profitability of the business overall.” The opportunities that exist in Scotland for landowners to maximise their business productivity and sustainability by adding value to underproductive or marginal land through tree planting have been highlighted in a new videoproduced by Scottish Forestry. 

The FGS offers farmers attractive funding opportunities to plant new woodlands and/or manage existing ones. Between October 2015 and April 2019, over £130m of funding was approved for 1,241 Woodland Creation cases in Scotland, covering 28,364ha of new planting. Farmers and landowners could receive grants of up to £6,210 per hectare towards the costs of new woodland planting, with additional monies for fencing and tree protection available.

Landowners located within the Central Scotland Green Network Area (see map) may also be eligible for a special uplift contribution of up to £2,500 per hectare, location dependent. 

Landowners located within the CSGN area who would like to discuss potential opportunities for woodland creation and the FGS can contact 0300 067 6006 or centralscotland.cons@forestry.gov.scot

For those located out-with the CSGN area, contact your nearest local Scottish Forestry Conservancy Office at https://forestry.gov.scot/about/structures/local-offices

For full details of the Forestry Grant Scheme, go to www.ruralpayments.org/publicsite/futures/topics/all-schemes/forestry-grant-scheme/woodlandcreation