Coetiroedd Bach: Tiny Forests in Wales
A grant scheme intended to create Tiny Forests, as part of the Welsh Government’s National Forest.
The need to aid nature’s recovery is urgent. Looking after nature and helping people to understand its importance has never been more relevant.
Coetiroedd Bach / Tiny Forests in Wales is a new grant scheme as part of the National Forest programme. We are offering smaller grants of between £10k and £40K for sites (up to £250k for multiple sites) that adhere to Tiny Forest principles.
What is the National Forest?
The National Forest for Wales is a venture led by the Welsh Government. It will create a network of publicly accessible woodlands and forests throughout Wales, under high quality management.
The National Forest will stretch the length and breadth of Wales, so that everyone can access it. It will include both urban and rural areas – with a commitment to create 100 Coetiroedd Bach / Tiny Forests and 30 new woodlands.
It will deliver a huge range of benefits – called ecosystem services – to the environment, the economy and society:
playing an important role in protecting nature and addressing biodiversity loss
increasing locally grown timber production – allowing the local forestry industry to thrive, creating jobs and reducing reliance on imported timber
providing more places where people can immerse themselves in nature and spend time with their friends and families, and boosting tourism across the breadth of Wales
supporting the health and wellbeing of communities – a working example of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act
The National Forest will bring people together, with the majority of woodland being planted on a voluntary basis by communities, farmers and other landowners across Wales.
This scheme is for organisations, communities and individuals with ownership or management control of small parcels of land, who want to create new small woodlands managed in collaboration with the local community using the Tiny Forests concept.
The scheme will offer:
Grants of up to £40,000 per site. Applicants may make one application to cover several sites but each site may not exceed a cost of £40k, and the maximum grant available per application is £250k. Applicants may not submit more than one application.
Up to 100% funding.
Comprehensive training from Earthwatch Europe to plan and create a Coetir Bach / Tiny Forest (7.5 hours over 3 sessions plus ongoing coaching and support) (essential).
Membership of the Tiny Forest network led by Earthwatch Europe (essential).
Until the end of March 2025 to deliver the project.
Capital and revenue funding.
Advice and support from Woodland Liaison Officers to plan your project.
There will be 3 rounds of Coetiroedd Bach / Tiny Forests in Wales funding over the next two years.
For more information and to apply, visit: https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/funding/coetiroedd-bach-tiny-forests-wales