Tree Health Pilot

The Tree Health Pilot (THP) scheme is testing different ways of slowing the spread of pests and diseases affecting trees in England. It expands on support available through the Countryside Stewardship Woodland Tree Health grant. The THP supports owners and managers of trees in woodland or trees outside woodland to deal with tree health issues. Funding from the pilot can go towards a range of measures including: felling and treating diseased or infested trees and necessary infrastructure improvements; restocking with new trees and capital items to assist this; maintenance of newly planted trees biosecurity items. The pilot was launched in August 2021 to test interventions and assumptions for a nationwide Tree Health grants scheme. It provides support for trees affected by specific pests and diseases including Phytophthora ramorum in larch, eight-toothed spruce bark beetle, sweet chestnut blight, oak processionary moth, and ash dieback. The scheme is designed to help bolster the health and sustainability of trees, woodlands and forests and support those who manage these important areas. By helping eradicate and manage pests and diseases, thriving treescapes can provide a range of environmental and economic benefits. The pilot is testing two main interventions: felling and treatment to slow the spread of pests and diseases, and restocking for resilience to enable treescape recovery.