How much you’ll be paid 

£19.06 per tree.

How this item benefits the environment

Planting hedgerow trees will benefit wild birds and other wildlife by providing:

• shelter and food
• nesting sites and song posts
• stepping stones between woodland habitats

It will also make a valuable contribution to the landscape.

Where you can use this item 

You can use this item in hedgerows on land in a management action or option.

What you must do to use this item

You must:

• carry out work when the hedge is dormant (between 30 September and 1 March)
• plant the trees into gaps in the hedge – if there is no suitable gap then plant the trees into a notch cut into the hedgerow
• plant each tree in a pit deep and wide enough to contain the full depth and width of the root system
• plant native species at least 2 metres (m) tall
• plant trees in irregular spacing with at least 20m between them to allow for full crown development
• tag each tree with a brightly coloured durable material
• drive a clearly visible stake into the hedgerow on either side of the tree
• stake and tie each tree securely using material appropriate to the size and species of the tree
• use flexible and adjustable tree ties (for example, rubber ties to prevent wind damage)
• maintain stakes and ties until the tree is established – remove them when the tree no longer needs support
• protect trees from livestock and wild animal damage
• control weeds until the trees have established
• replace dead trees in the following planting season – at the end of the agreement, there must be at least one living tree in good condition

You must not:

• plant trees beneath or within 20m of overhead power lines or other overhead and underground services
• let tree guards damage the growing tree
• fasten guards to the tree itself

Evidence you must keep 

You must keep:

• a map showing the location of existing hedgerow trees in each length of hedgerow and provide it with your application – this can be your Farm Environment Record
• photographs of the completed work and provide them with your claim

You must also keep and provide on request:

• any consents or permissions connected with the work
• receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable
• the date, location and method of any weed control carried out
• the dates of planting
• details of the age, height and species of each tree planted
• photographs of the location of where each tree will be planted

Read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the Agreement holder’s guide: Capital Grants, Higher Tier capital grants and Protection and Infrastructure grants for more information.

If you’re applying for this item as part of a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) application, read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the CSHT agreement holder’s guide.

Other items you can use with this item

You can use this item with these items:

BN2: Stone-faced bank restoration

BN3: Earth bank creation

BN4: Earth bank restoration

BN5: Hedgerow laying

BN6: Hedgerow coppicing

BN7: Hedgerow gapping-up

BN11: Planting new hedges

FG16: Deer pedestrian gate

TE6: Tree guard (tube and mesh)

TE7: Tree guard (wood post and rail)

TE8: Tree guard (wood post and wire)

Advice to help you use this item

The following advice may help you to use this item, but you do not have to follow it to get paid. It’s not part of this item’s requirements.   

When to plant trees

Planting should not be carried out

• during frost
• during a drought
• in waterlogged ground

How to plant

When planting trees:

• only use native trees already present in the local area
• space the trees far enough to let crowns develop without competing or producing too much shade
• space far enough apart so the gaps between trees can be easily trimmed with a mechanical flail
• use irregular spacing to create a more natural landscape – look at the local landscape to see what is appropriate

Making the trees visible to protect them

The biggest threat to young hedgerow trees is management of the rest of the hedgerow by ‘flailing’. Hand-trimming a hedge 1m either side of young trees is an effective way to make them more visible. You can also tag them with tape to make them visible. You should ask machine operators to avoid the trees when cutting.