Grant News
The Forestry Commission, in collaboration with Defra, is launching a new innovation fund supporting nurseries to increase and diversify domestic tree supply in England.
The £1 million Tree Production Innovation Fund will award grants of up to £200,000 to encourage the development and adoption of new technologies and ways of working that will enhance the quantity, quality and diversity of planting stock available for tree planting.
The fund will be organised around a number of different challenges:
How can we make better use of available seed and vegetative planting material to maximise the quantity, quality and diversity of trees produced?
How can we develop growing systems to enhance their efficiency and resilience to change, whilst delivering improved quality and diversity of product? This challenge can include activities to promote biosecurity.
How can innovative environmentally sustainable weed control solutions be used to reduce reliance on herbicides?
Public bodies will be required to partner with private sector third party organisations, with lead applicants based in the UK. Projects can be standalone with output(s) that will be fully developed by March 2022 or pilot studies looking to establish the feasibility of longer-term projects.
The first round of the fund will open for applications in late July 2021. Further details will follow.