Background
The NeighbourWood Scheme provides support for
- silvicultural works designed to enhance existing forests and to increase their functionality and attractiveness for recreation;
- the installation of suitable recreational facilities, including familiar features such as trails, seats, signs and parking to cater for all users, to more specialised facilities to cater for particular user groups, such as hides for birdwatching.
The Scheme can be applied for in relation to a wide range of recreational forest types, e.g. close- to-home ‘neighbourwoods’ used by local people on a daily basis.
The Scheme can also be used to strengthen the role of a forest as a focus for outdoor fitness training or forest classroom educational programmes, or as a setting for an important heritage or cultural feature, or as part of a wider amenity development / network, such as ‘green ways’ or National Waymarked Trails.
This Scheme is aimed primarily at publicly-owned woodlands, but woodlands under community ownership or management trusts are eligible, as are private forests. However, certain criteria must be met in all cases, for a project to be eligible under this Scheme.
Specifically, all applications must demonstrate
- a recreational need,
- clear user group(s),
- the accessibility and suitability of the forest for recreational development,
- and a partnership between the owner and the user(s) in developing the application and implementing the project (if approved).
While an overall initiative involving the recreational development of a woodland may be larger, the maximum payable area per application under the NeighbourWood Scheme is capped at 12 ha.
Element 1: Enhancement
This element provides support for silvicultural works designed to enhance existing forests and to increase their attractiveness, biodiversity and suitability for recreation. Potential operations include the removal of invasive species, coupe planting to re-invigorate stagnant canopies, and the replacement of existing conifer stands with native woodland. Further information on Element 1 eligible operations can be found in the scheme document.
Under Element 1, projects can receive up to €6,000 / ha in funding, based on approved costs and subject to an upper limit of €72,000 (i.e. €6,000 x 12 ha).
Element 2: Facilities
This element provides funding for suitable facilities that enable the use and enjoyment of existing woodlands and forests by people. These facilities can range from general features such as trails, seats, signs and parking to cater for the general user, to more specialised facilities for particular user groups. It is aimed at existing woodlands, including woodlands that been recently planted.
Further information on what is eligible under Element 2 can be found in the scheme document.
Under Element 2, projects can receive up to €4,200 / ha, based on approved works and subject to an upper limit of €50,400 (i.e. €4,200 x 12 ha).
Payment of Ecosystem Services
In addition to the grants detailed above, private applicants under this Scheme may be eligible for an annual Payment for Ecosystem Service (PES). This acknowledges the forest environmental and climate services provided by the forest owner’s adoption and management of alternative silvicultural and recreational systems, and the associated additional costs incurred in doing so. Specifically, PES 5 (‘People’) applies, set at €90 / ha for 7 years.
Note that the establishment of new forests designed for recreational use (e.g. to expand an existing forest or to create a new forest resource where previously none existed) is funded by the Afforestation Scheme under ‘Forest Type’ FT4. This also includes a provision for the parallel installation of recreation facilities
Key requirement of the Neighbourwood scheme
Forests funded under the NeighbourWood Scheme must be open to the general public throughout the year (although private applicants can opt to close the site for one day in each calendar year, to avoid possible concerns regarding the establishment of access rights). Access must be free-of-charge (apart from charges for car-parking and other basic services, or in relation to the staging of particular events). Projects involving entrance fees, exclusive membership, or some other barrier to general public use, are not eligible under the Scheme.
Further Information
The DAFM Neighbourwood Scheme document goes into greater detail on eligibility and requirements of the scheme.
Contact your local Teagasc Forestry advisor