June 22, 2022
Apply for funding to help British woodlands
Is your organisation striving to protect, improve or expand British Woodlands?
If you’re nodding enthusiastically, you could apply for one of our grants.
How does it work?
We’ve recently created our 1% woodland tax. A pledge to donate 1% of our annual turnover to help keep local woodlands thriving.
We’re using this money to offer grants of between £5,000 and £10,000 to charities and projects that are taking care of British woodlands.
Why now?
Like much of our natural environment, our woodlands are suffering. Climate change, disease and lack of management are all damaging this precious resource.
We can’t just sit by and watch. Our woodlands are incredibly important. They are hives of biodiversity, water stores, air cleaners, soil protectors and a source of local timber. They are also places where we can relax, exercise and breathe.
What’s more, these woodlands are the foundation of our business. If our woodlands fail, we fail. And that’s not a great business strategy.
Projects we’d love to support
The projects we fund usually fall into these three categories. Does your organisation fit?
Thriving Woodlands
Projects focussed on the sustainable development of UK woodlands, including silviculture, scientific research, planting projects, woodland management, regenerative forestry, carbon sequestration studies and productivity.
Woodland Connections
Projects that connect people to local woodlands and build a woodland culture. The principle being that if people understand woodlands, they will value them. This includes forest schools, events, films and community projects based in woodlands.
Education and training
One of the biggest obstacles to healthier woodlands is the lack of knowledge and skills in these areas. The same is true for using timber grown in local woodlands. We’ll support education in the area of forestry, plus architectural and design projects focused on using British wood in construction.
If you have a project that doesn’t quite fit, but it has the future of our woodlands at its heart, please get in touch anyway. We’d love to hear about your work.
Ready to apply?
Great. Here’s how to get started.
To apply for funding, please send a 100 word outline of your project to woodlandtax@vastern.co.uk
If your project meets our initial criteria, we’ll be in touch to find out more.
How our grants are being used
Helping the Future Trees Trust to carry out vital research
Future Trees Trust is a charity that uses research to improve broadleaf woodlands. This small team of dedicated researchers are working on ‘progeny trials’ to select the best saplings from oak and sycamore trial sites. These selected trees, so called ‘plus trees’ will be used to form future ‘seed orchards’ to provide the best genetic material for future forests.
Helping Shared Earth Learning to support young people
Shared Earth Learning is a charitable Forest School that offers outdoor learning and horticulture experience to children and young people at risk of disengagement.
‘Project Grow’ is supported by the 1% Woodland Tax. This project is helping 15-18 year olds who are not in education or training to develop skills and confidence through outdoor, active learning.
