Future Woodlands Scotland (FWS), the charity dedicated to creating and conserving woodlands across Scotland, has selected the first three projects to receive grants of up to £20,000 from its Urban Forestry Programme.
The Urban Forestry Programme is an ambitious ten-year project that sees FWS working alongside project founding partner bp to support and improve green spaces in Scotland’s cities, towns, and urban areas, an ambition shared by the two organisations.
This first round of funding will support projects that improve tree visibility, canopy cover, access to greenspaces, nature enhancement and education on biodiversity, food sustainability and climate literacy.
The first three projects to receive funding are:
Friends of Inch Park (FOIP), Edinburgh
A community orchard and planting project with an arts-based engagement programme that will improve canopy cover and raise awareness of nurturing trees.Friends of Linn Park, Glasgow
A tree restoration and enhancement programme at a nature reserve in Glasgow that includes facilities for community groups and aims to enhance woodland to provide a better-quality environment for local communities.Norton Park (CIC), Edinburgh
A small-scale tree planting and green space improvement project to increase tree visibility and enhance access to greenspaces for local people and the wider community.
A total of 33 applications were submitted across two funding levels: projects ranging from £2,000 to £20,000, and those ranging from £20,000 to £100,000. The selected projects fall within the former funding range.
The projects were chosen based on the significant contribution they could make to the Urban Forestry Programme goal of helping towns and cities across Scotland achieve the 3:30:300 rule: everyone should see three trees from their home, every neighbourhood should have 30% tree canopy and quality green space within 300 metres.
The Friends of Inch Park community orchard and tree care project will ensure that residents can see at least three trees from their homes, which they have personally planted.
Scotland’s urban tree cover (under 16%) is much lower than the EU average of 30.2%. Increasing the number of trees in its cities and towns is crucial in supporting the journey to net zero and delivering a wide range of socio-economic benefits.
Applications for funding were measured by the Tree Equity tool, which was created to address imbalances in urban tree distribution by American Forests, a US non-profit organisation, and was brought to the UK by the Woodland Trust and Centre for Sustainable Healthcare.
bp’s contribution to the programme represents a significant part of its commitments to Scotland, which were made as part of the ScotWind bid for its Morven offshore wind project.
The Urban Forestry Programme has already funded two pilot projects: a fruit and nut tree planting project in Stirling and a tree warden volunteer scheme in Glasgow.
Successful applicants for the larger grant programme, which offers funding of up to £100k, will be announced in Spring. More information on the Urban Forestry Programme is available at www.futurewoodlands.org.uk
Ends
Issued by BIG Partnership on behalf of Future Woodlands Scotland.
For more information, please contact Joanna Macdonald: joanna.macdonald@bigpartnership.co.uk or 07706334975.
About Future Woodlands Scotland
Future Woodlands Scotland was set up in 2012 to fund innovative thinking for native woodlands. The charity has since developed several programmes to benefit Scotland’s woodlands.
Future Woodlands Programme - helping landowners create or regenerate 1,000 hectares of native woodlands across Scotland, pioneering the restoration of ‘ghost’ or degraded former ancient native woodlands.
Research and Innovation Grants of up to £10,000 to fund academic research but also new ideas and approaches that will benefit Scotland’s native woodlands.
About the Urban Forestry Programme
The Urban Forestry Programme will support urban forestry projects, tree planting, biodiversity, education, community involvement and green job creation to deliver environmental, social and economic benefits.
The programme will measure success using the 3:30:300 rule, developed by Cecil Konijnendijk of the Nature Based Solutions Institute. The '3:30:300 rule' is an evidence-based rule which states that everyone should be able to see at least three trees from their home; there should be a minimum of 30% tree canopy cover in each neighbourhood; and 300 metres should be the maximum distance to the nearest high-quality public green space.
The programme will prioritise areas in Scotland with the fewest trees, guided by the Tree Equity tool, which was created to address imbalances in urban tree distribution by American Forests, the US non-profit organisation. The mapping tool was adapted for the UK by the Woodland Trust and Centre for Sustainable Healthcare.
About FWS
Future Woodlands Scotland and bp have been working together to restore Scotland’s native woodlands for over 20 years. Originating with the pioneering Scottish Forest Alliance, the Alliance successfully added nearly 5,000 hectares of new or restored native woodland, enriching Scotland’s biodiversity with nature-based solutions.
In 2021, with help from bp, Future Woodlands Scotland started the Future Woodlands Fund, a three-year pilot project to help landowners plant trees and restore Scotland’s ghost woodlands. This effort has led to 18 active projects, creating or restoring over 1,000 hectares of woodland.
Building on this success, in 2023, Future Woodlands Scotland signed a contract with bp, whereby the energy major has committed up to £10million to the Urban Forestry Programme as part of its planned Scottish offshore windfarm project, Morven, jointly developed with EnBW.
About bp
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