Astrid Madsen
If you are self-building in a remote location, and own a large site, a well-managed woodland could be a sustainable solution to all of your fuel needs.
Good news comes in the form of the NI Woodland Grant Schemes, which opened in June. To qualify you will need to plant 0.2 hectare (about half an acre) or more with native woodland, mixed woodland or commercial conifer woodland.
The Small Woodland establishment grant is paid at £2,925 per hectare, 80 per cent in year one and the remaining 20 per cent in year five. A fencing grant is also available where necessary to secure the new woodland.
An annual payment is also available over a 10 year period where the land to be planted is in
agricultural use. You must apply online by the 30th September; see daera-ni.gov.uk
English