National Tree Week 2024 annually marks the beginning of the planting season. Behind the scenes, IndiWoods is preparing tree orders, mapping out woodland designs, and preparing for the months ahead. From this, we will be fortunate to create more beautiful native woodlands throughout Northern Ireland.
Increasing our woodland cover has never been more critical throughout Northern Ireland. We already have the lowest tree cover in Europe at 8% ( in comparison to 13% in Britain) and added to the demise of the Ash in our countryside due to Ash Dieback, this paints a bleak picture for our landscape. Therefore, we must act now to ensure we have trees and woodlands for our future. We can all make a difference, whether planting a small area or a large woodland; each is equally important.
DEARA Forest Service
The DEARA Forest Service funds most woodland creation throughout NI. Although the Forest Expansion Scheme (FES) is closed for planting this season, its next deadline is 30th June 2025 to plant winter 25/26, so now is the perfect time to start planning. However, the Small Woodland Grant Scheme (SWGS), which offers funding for native woodland, is due to OPEN any day now! This is a very straightforward grant which has successfully worked for a lot of IndiWoods clients. The minimum area is 0.2ha, has no upper limit, has a set rate for planting and fencing and a fixed annual income of £350 per ha on agricultural land in addition to BPS. Full details are available at www.indiwoods.com.
IndiWoods Tree Shop Celebrating National Tree Week 2024
IndiWoods Tree Shop was successfully launched in 2021. It is a friendly and easy-to-use online shop. It has been designed for anyone wishing to buy native trees and tree guards for their FES or SWGS projects. The shop sells smaller bundles of trees and guards, making the planting projects more affordable and specific to each new woodland.
Carolyn Trimble, Director of IndiWoods, can advise on applying for grants and designing, planting, and caring for your woodland. With trees from 60p per tree plus vat, this is an excellent way to make your grant work for you.
Working with Irish tree nurseries, IndiWoods can offer a full range of Irish trees, including Oak, Birch, Alder, Hazel, Wild Cherry, Crab Apple, Rowan, Willow, Scots Pine, Hawthorn, and Blackthorn. All tree guards can be removed and recycled once the tree grows.
Whether it be to enhance our countryside, encourage and promote wildlife and habitats, walk, enjoy and improve our fitness and mental health, or provide shelter for our farm animals, improve our soil and timber production, fight against climate change and help combat flooding, absorb carbon and reduce our carbon footprint, the list for planting TREES is endless, and each is equally important. The Forest Service grants are available to provide financial support to achieve