What the action involves
This action’s aim is to manage a mosaic of scrub, grasses and other flowering plants with:
- scrub cover allowed to develop, and managed so the mosaic is maintained
- a variety of species, heights, and structure
- growing trees and deadwood, where relevant
The purpose of this is to:
- provide pollen and nectar sources for beneficial insects, such as bumble bees, solitary bees and butterflies
- provide food and habitats for birds and mammals
- improve the quality of woodland edges and transitions between other habitats
- protect soils and watercourses by reducing soil erosion
- restore natural processes to enhance the ecosystem
What you must do
Your Natural England adviser 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:
- manage scrub mosaics with a variety of heights, widths, shapes and species
- manage by cutting, light grazing with cattle, pigs or hardy ponies, natural colonisation, planting, or a combination of these methods
- agree a stocking calendar specifying monthly minimum and maximum stocking rates by type of grazing animal, if you choose to graze
- protect mature, veteran and ancient trees, their rootstocks and any attached deadwood
- keep all standing and fallen deadwood from mature, veteran and ancient trees
- replace any trees planted under the action that have failed to establish
- agree all drainage works, including changes to existing drainage, in writing with Natural England before starting any work
The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to:
- cut to maintain the scrub and grass mosaic and for the control of injurious weeds and invasive non-native species
- cut shrubby growth (as agreed with your Natural England adviser)
- manage bracken or bracken litter layers in yearly rotations – cut bracken by hand on archaeological or historic features
- control wild herbivores to maintain the scrub mosaics
- attach bird strike markers to all new fences
- maintain or restore natural hydrological conditions for the target habitat as set out in your feasibility study or management plan (if required)
- manage land to mimic natural processes to benefit species, for example create sparsely vegetated land by scarification, sow flower-rich seed or allow natural regeneration to occur
- remove or control agreed invasive non-native flora and fauna species and some native deer species – you can fund this action by other supplements
- tailor the action to protect archaeological or historic features, or existing environmental or landscape features on site
- keep a monthly record of grazing livestock numbers
You must not:
- apply any fertilisers or manures
- apply pesticides – you may be able to use herbicides to spot-treat or weed-wipe for the control of injurious weeds, invasive non-native plant species, nettles or other plants if this has been agreed with your Natural England adviser
- plough, harrow, roll, cultivate, lime or re-seed, unless it’s to diversify grass sward or plant tree seeds
- supplementary feed livestock
- release or supplementary feed game birds
- cut shrubby growth during the bird breeding season (from 1 March to 31 August)
The management plan or feasibility study will determine to what extent the site has potential for restoration of natural processes. Capital funding is available to support these plans.
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.
The same action appears in the other schemes under a different code. The work is broadly the same; the rate and the length of the commitment are not.
- SFI26 — SCR2: £350 per hectare per year, over 3 years
- SFI26 pays the same rate and commits you for 3 years rather than 5.
Where you can do it
You can do this action on eligible land that has an existing scrub cover of at least 10%. If less than this, enter it into the create scrub and open habitats mosaic action.
You may be able to do this action on other habitats with Natural England approval.
Eligible land
You can do this action on land that’s:
- an eligible land type
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover
Available area
Total or part of the available area in the land parcel.
Rotational or static
This action is static. This means you must do it on the same location each year of the action’s duration.
Consents and permissions
To apply for this action, you’ll need:
- Scheduled Monument Consent from Historic England for any work on scheduled monuments
- consent from Natural England for any activity on land designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI)
You may need to:
- agree an implementation plan or feasibility study with your Natural England adviser
- advice from your Natural England adviser if you have other archaeological or historic features on your agreement land
- get a felling licence or an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) opinion from Forestry Commission
- get a wildlife licence from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat
For hydrological restoration, you should include an assessment of the water supply (quantity and quality) in your implementation plan or feasibility study. This will include an assessment of any potential impacts on existing semi-natural habitat, archaeological or historic features and flood risk on third party land.
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.
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 Natural England adviser will discuss eligible capital items with you.
