What the action involves
The aim of this supplemental action is to maintain fire belts to disrupt the movement of wildfires across woodland.
The purpose is to provide strategic breaks in woodland for fire suppression. You can do this by using a gap in vegetation or combustible matter as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a fire.
Fire belts are strips of woodland composed of fire-resistant (usually broad-leaved) species. They help maintain a ‘clean’ forest floor and prevent or reduce the spread of surface fires.
What you must do
Your Forestry Commission woodland officer will assess your land. They’ll work with you to adapt and agree the activities you must do to achieve this action’s aim. All mandatory activities will be set out in your agreement document.
To get paid for this action, you must:
- maintain fire belts on the agreed area
- carry out pruning of trees to a height specified by your Forestry Commission woodland officer
- remove tree debris from the fire belts to a safe location, agreed with your adviser
- remove standing or fallen deadwood to an agreed location
- remove any tree tubes and guarding as soon as possible to reduce flammable material
When to do it
You must do this action each year of its duration.
Evidence to keep
You must keep evidence to show what you have done to complete this action. If it’s not clear that you have done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if they ask for it.
Where you can do it
You can only use this supplemental action in combination with Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier base action CWD2: Woodland improvement action.
You can only do this action on:
- woodland that has a Forestry Commission approved woodland management plan
- a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), special area of conservation (SAC) or special protection area (SPA) that has an existing consent or assent from Natural England
Your Forestry Commission woodland officer will agree with you what other supplemental actions may be needed to meet the intended environmental outcomes. This could include:
- CSP2: Rewetting supplement
- CSP9: Support for threatened species
- CWS2: Manage and restore plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) supplement
- CWS5: Improve woodland resilience supplement
- CWS8: Manage native woodland including ancient semi-natural woodlands (ASNW) supplement
- CWS9: Manage woodlands for flood and drought mitigation supplement
You cannot do this supplemental action:
- on peat soils more than 10 centimetres (cm) in depth
- within 6 metres (m) of a historic or archaeological feature identified in your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER).
Eligible land
Same as base action.
Available area
Same or less than the base action.
Rotational or static
Same as base action.
Consents and permissions
To apply for this action, you’ll need:
- consent from Natural England for any activity on land designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI)
- a Forestry Commission approved woodland management plan
- Scheduled Monument Consent from Historic England for any work on scheduled monuments
- to get a felling licence from the Forestry Commission to carry out some activities in this action
You may need to:
- get advice from your Forestry Commission woodland officer if you have other archaeological or historic features on your agreement land
- get a wildlife licence from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat
All archaeological and historic features (including scheduled monuments) are identified in your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER).
If you’re a tenant, it’s your responsibility to check whether your tenancy agreement allows you to complete what’s required in the actions you choose. You may need your landlord’s consent.
Defra and its delivery bodies, including Natural England and the Forestry Commission, exempt itself of any and all liability in the event of wildfire. Wildfires are necessarily unpredictable events and Defra and its delivery bodies aim to minimise the likelihood of them occurring (or the damage of the same if such an event occurs) but do not and cannot exclude the possibility of a wildfire taking place. The condition of your land and its susceptibility to the risk of wildfire is a matter for which you as a farmer or landowner are solely responsible and liable.
For the avoidance of doubt, Defra and its delivery bodies shall not be liable for any consequential, indirect or special loss nor for any of the following (whether direct or indirect): loss of property, loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of data, damage to profit, loss of use, loss of production, loss of contract, loss of commercial opportunity, loss of business, harm to reputation, or loss of goodwill and/or wasted expenditure.
Capital grants that support it
If you need to complete an implementation plan or a feasibility study before you apply, you can apply for capital grants plans funding.
You can also apply for capital items to help you achieve the action’s aims. Your Forestry Commission woodland officer will discuss eligible capital items with you.
