Information for Woodland Owners

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2.2 Grants

A more proven technique of reducing the outlay is to seek a grant, and a number of possibilities exist.

2.2.1 Forestry Commission
Derelict coppice would be eligible for a Forestry Commission Woodland Improvement Grant, which can cover up to 50% of approved costs, including preparing a management plan and fencing, as well as actually clearing the neglected hazel.

2.2.2 Local Authorities
Local Authorities may also offer a grant to get coppice restarted. For instance, Howe (1995) indicates that Hampshire County Council was prepared to pay 50% of the cost, but these sources are likely to diminish as cuts in Local Government spending continue.

2.2.3 Challenge fund bids
Challenging funding is available for creating butterfly areas, for which working coppice is ideal, and this can cover 100% of costs, but it is available only on a competitive basis. The Forestry Commission is also considering introducing a Challenge Woodland Improvement Grant for woods under 10 ha.

3 CONCLUSIONS

By grants or other means the outlay of about £1,500/ha (£600/ac) for clearing neglected coppice can certainly be reduced by half and, if enterprise is successful, by a lot more than that. It may even cost nothing. Those facts should significantly reduce the temptations to continue neglecting old coppice, or to find ways round the law and turn them to other uses. And although current sale values from in-cycle hazel coppice would not make an owner rich, they offer a modest net return for very' little outlay other than owning the land, with additional benefits for game cover and conservation. Moreover, in a newly recovering industry like coppice. There seem many opportunities for the enterprising to develop markets much further.

Acknowledgements

I am very grateful for help received on technical matters during the preparation of this paper from, Linda Glynn, William Hamer, Jonathan Howe, Andv Mason and Vincent Thurkettle.

References

The first reference is cited in the text. The others may be of some interest though now rather dated.

Howe, J. (1995) HazeI Coppice; Past, present and future. Hampshire County Council.

An economic analysis of silvicultural options for broadleaved woodland. CFI Occasional Paper 19, Commonwealth Forestry Institute, Oxford 1982.

Volume I, by Simon Pryor, includes Oak standards over hazel coppice.

Volume II, by Roy Lorrain_Smith, includes Sweet Chestnut coppice, and Oak standards over mixed coppice including hazel.