CUMBRIAN landowners and managers are being encouraged to take advantage of a £50m government scheme designed to encourage tree planting.

The Forestry Commission is making £10m available for its “Woodland Carbon Guarantee” scheme, which aims to make tree-planting financially viable over the long term by allowing those involved to claw back cash from the government.

Those who want to get involved must sign up by June 5.

Launched in November 2019, the Woodland Carbon Guarantee scheme aims to accelerate woodland planting and thereby permanently remove damaging carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Successful participants can sell "Woodland Carbon Units” to the government over 35 years at a guaranteed price which will be inflation-proofed.

That price will be set at an auction to be held online between June 8 and 19.

Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, said: “Encouraging the planting of more trees to create new woodlands is not only good for our fantastic flora and fauna, it also helps the wider environment and helps in the fight against climate change.

“We have some amazing countryside here in Cumbria and I would encourage landowners to get involved with this scheme, which will benefit everyone.”

Sir William Worsley, chairman of the Forestry Commission, said: “The Woodland Carbon Guarantee is the first scheme of its kind to provide land managers with long-term certainty of a guaranteed payment rate for carbon, which their trees lock up and store.

“I’m excited to announce that the first auction has successfully encouraged projects in parts of the country where new planting has been lower in recent years, and across a good range of woodland types.

“There is no reason to delay applying and to plant trees now – I strongly encourage all land managers thinking about planting to sign up ahead of the second auction in June.”

The outcome of the first exploratory auction in February paves the way for larger-scale projects to secure funding in forthcoming auctions. A series of auctions will take place every six months for up to five years.

You can apply to join the scheme online at www.gov.uk/guidance/woodland-carbon-guarantee