Better not to map woods?

LANDOWNERS MAY be better off by not registering their woodland on digital Land Registry maps if they are planning to join the Entry Level Scheme, says land agent Savills.

All subsidies and grants would be based on these maps, said agricultural consultant Simon Gardner. To qualify for payment under the ELS farmers must accumulate 30 points a hectare (12 points/acre) for environmental assets across the land registered on the maps.

 “It is a widely held view that all areas of woodland, water, scrub and track should be registered on these maps, but there are cases where this may not be prudent,” said Mr Gardner. “Very few points are available for woodland or woodland boundaries and careful calculation is essential in order to establish whether the entire registered acreage can generate the points required to trigger the ELS payments.”