ICF Collects Member Responses to Glastir Consultation

The Institute of Chartered Foresters is collecting views from its Welsh members to proposals for the Glastir scheme, part of the Rural Development Plan for Wales, 2014 – 2020.

The Glastir scheme will form the main mechanism for the support of woodland management and tree planting in Wales for the next six years. The consultation document outlines proposals for increased funding for woodland management and tree planting along with new proposals for a “Small Grant scheme”.

The document identifies support for disease monitoring and outbreak response following the issues raised with Phytopthora and Chalara fraxinea. A new Advisory Service is proposed to identify appropriate interventions at farm, forest and landscape scale. Support is also proposed for forestry SMEs in Wales based on the current ‘Process and Marketing Grant’, whilst the threat to funding commercial restocking is mentioned.

Members are urged to respond to the consultation to assist Welsh Government in providing robust support for forestry and the wider sector in Wales. Those who wish to do so are asked to send their views to Richard Curtis, Secretary of the Wales Regional Group. Views will inform a response from ICF Wales.

For more information about the scheme and a consultation document, visit the Welsh Government’s website.