As part of the Shared Outcomes Fund Trees Outside Woodland (SOF TOW) pilot project, four local authorities trialled both free and
subsidised tree schemes over successive years to test uptake of the schemes, relative survival rates of the trees, and costs to the local
authority. This guide was written by the project team and contains advice on how to run a tree scheme.
- A free tree scheme provided trees, guards and canes at no cost to the recipient.
- A subsidised scheme required a financial contribution from the recipient. For the subsidised scheme the SOF TOW project offered a 50% subsidy, with recipients contributing the remaining 50%.
Both a free and subsidised tree scheme can work for a local authority. Which one works best depends on a variety of factors, including budget, capacity, size of local authority, and predicted applications. If your budget doesn’t allow for running a free tree scheme, a subsidised scheme might be a good option.
Resource information:
