Small-Scale Tree Planting Programme offers grants up to £1,000 in South and East Ayrshire

The Ayrshire Small Scale Tree Planting Programme is continuing through 2025/26, with grants of up to £1,000 available for planting native trees in South and East Ayrshire within the UNESCO Biosphere region.

Hosted by the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Partnership and backed by funding from South Ayrshire Council, Scottish Forestry, the Woodland Trust and Land Energy, the scheme is now in its third season and has seen the planting of over 2700 trees since its launch in 2023.

Individuals, businesses, organisations and community groups are all eligible to apply for grants which cover young trees, tree guards, stakes, fencing, and more, with non-profits also able to claim up to 100% of costs for labour and site preparation. Areas to be planted must measure less than 0.6 acres (0.25ha) and be located within the Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, a designation which extends over 9,720km² of southwest Scotland’s land and sea and recognises the region’s world class natural and cultural heritage.

Projects in the first two years of the tree planting scheme have included small copses, treelines, field boundary trees, parkland trees and orchards. The scheme aims to expand native broadleaf woodland which currently represents less than 1% of land coverage in Ayrshire. As well as supporting biodiversity the newly planted areas are intended to boost public wellness by creating spaces for recreation and green health.

Autumn and winter months are the optimum time to get trees in the ground and the GSA Biosphere Partnership is making the scheme as accessible as possible, with a short and simple online application form. Project lead Antoine Lemaire, the Biosphere’s Nature Recovery Officer, said, “The Ayrshire Small Scale Tree Planting Programme has seen a fantastic response since its launch in 2023, with species such as oak, birch, hawthorn, wild cherry and rowan planted in towns and villages and landowners, communities and schools all getting involved in creating these important new spaces where people and wildlife can connect. All 748 UNESCO Biospheres around the world share a remit to support nature recovery with a ‘Think Global, Act Local’ approach and we’re immensely grateful for the continuing support of project partners in this programme, which is restoring balance and vitality to Ayrshire’s landscapes.”

The GSA Biosphere Partnership is a registered Scottish charity running initiatives in conservation, education, enterprise and climate resilience. Approximately 86% of South Ayrshire and over 50% of East Ayrshire lies within the UNESCO Biosphere boundary and other nature recovery projects the Partnership currently has underway include the Save Our Swifts campaign and red squirrel monitoring. The charity also supports sustainable farming and land management with initiatives such as the Biosphere Certification Mark scheme and the annual Farming for the Future Conference, which this year will be taking place in November in Maybole.   

Anyone interested in the tree planting programme can find more information and application forms atwww.gsabiosphere.org.uk/natureandwildlife/biosphere-ayrshire-tree-planting-grant/ or by emailingantoine@gsabiosphere.org.uk.