An innovative new project known as Biodiverse Farm Canopies (BFC) has been launched to support biodiversity uplift in England’s woodlands. By enhancing woodland condition through effective long-term management plans, owners can generate valuable biodiversity units, opening a new revenue stream while contributing to local nature recovery.
The BFC project is set to address key barriers facing woodland owners looking to enter emerging biodiversity markets in the UK. These include limited awareness, market uncertainty, and high upfront costs of developing investment-ready woodland management schemes. To do this, the project team, led by the Forest Canopy Foundation (FCF), will produce publicly available guidance tailored to landowners and buyers, making biodiversity markets more accessible. This work will act as a natural extension of the GFI’s Farming Toolkit for Assessing Nature Market Opportunities, paving the way for wider participation and success.
Nicholsons, experts in environmental services, will offer ecological and forestry expertise to pioneer the process of developing an investment-ready woodland management scheme in the Wychwood Forest, Oxfordshire. This pilot scheme will provide valuable feedback and insights to inform the project outputs.
BFC project partners; Sylva Foundation and Grown in Britain will work to improve ecological surveying tools and auditing frameworks, respectively, to support the long- term viability of projects, ensuring scalability. Working with legal professionals, template legal contracts will be developed and made available to FCF’s growing network of forestry Expert Providers covering the UK to facilitate uptake at scale through professional support.
The BFC project will be delivered by a partnership of four organisations: Forest Canopy Foundation, Sylva Foundation, Nicholsons, and Grown in Britain. The project team is working closely with local land managers who will be trialling model for areas of the Wychwood Forest, Oxfordshire, over the next 10 months.
This project is funded by the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF) provided by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and administered by the Environment Agency.
Forest Canopy Foundation is a not-for-profit partnership of professionals from across the forestry industry who have come together to play their part in mitigating climatic change and reviving biodiversity in the UK. The FCF now manages an innovative scheme combining public and private finance to make it more feasible for landowners to plant trees and is also supporting the industry through an ongoing research and development programme. The FCF has a national network of 21 Expert Providers (EPs) operating under the Foundation’s umbrella. Each EP is certified by FCF’s independent auditor Grown in Britain. Each EP can support landowners with various forms of tree planting, including woodland creation, agroforestry, and hedgerows by providing expert advice and practical support on funding streams available, establishment and long-term management. www.forestcanopyfoundation.co.uk
Grown in Britain is a not for profit, independent certification body supporting UK forestry and global plant health. GiB works to create a sustainable future for forests and forest products, to increase canopy cover in the UK and to protect our natural habitats from the threat of pests and diseases. Their vision is to put trees and plants at the heart of a healthier, more biodiverse, resilient and prosperous UK economy. www.growninbritain.org
Sylva Foundation is an environmental charity focussing on trees and woodland. It uses its forestry knowledge and information technology skills to provide innovative solutions to some of the greatest environmental challenges facing modern society. Its platform myForest helps more than 10,000 woodland owners and managers care for over 200,000ha of woodland across Britain. It also provides an environmental matchmaking platform NatureBid which has supported the £35M of funding in the last five years and has developed other applications for the land management sector including the Woodland Condition Assessment and the Woodland Wildlife Toolkit. From its base in south Oxfordshire it runs a Wood Centre and Wood School supporting training and the use of home-grown timber. www.sylva.org.uk
Nicholsons is a family business, committed to delivering quality environmental services with an emphasis on sustainability. Nicholsons offer comprehensive environmental and ecological consultancy services and fully integrated garden and woodland design, management and contracting services. We always ensure that natural capital and sustainability are at the centre of all that we do. By incorporating sustainability into business practices, Nicholsons are not only contributing to the well-being of the environment but also meeting the growing demand from our customers whose environmental values align with ours. www.nicholsonsgb.com
To speak to member of the project team, please call 01869 340350 or email info@forestcanopyfoundation.co.uk
