Guidance

Guidance on how to apply for the SSA grant

Updated 8 April 2026

Applies to England

• Publication for Northern Ireland
• Publication for Scotland
• Publication for Wales

About the Spruce Site Assessment (SSA) grant

The SSA grant is for landowners and land managers in England with spruce trees on land inside the Ips typographus proactive spruce removal area.

The SSA grant offers a fixed payment of £2,000. This funding is for landowners (or their agents) to assess their woodland to understand the amount and condition of spruce present and plan for potential felling and restocking.

This proactive approach aims to reduce the risks of Ips typographus (eight-toothed spruce bark beetle) and outbreaks occurring by removing material that might be susceptible to the beetle. If outbreaks are found, Statutory Plant Health Notices (SPHNs) are issued. SPHNs require the owner to take specific urgent forestry actions. Find out more about the SPHN process for Ips typographus infestations.

The SSA is open with a limited number of agreements being available on a first-come first-served basis.

The SSA will help you to:

• plan ahead for potential felling, extraction and restocking operations
• ensure your plans meet the Ips typographus ‘demarcated area’ regulations

• understand the costs involved in felling spruce on your property, which will help inform decisions on:

  • managing your spruce
  • applying for funding to fell spruce: read more about tree health pilot funding for spruce in the Ips typographus proactive spruce removal area
• contribute useful data to the national Ips typographus response

The information and costings in the SSA will function as a guide to the landowner. Payment of a grant claim for SSA does not represent a commitment to pay any of the felling or restocking costs stated in the assessment. Nor does it represent a commitment for you to enter into a future felling agreement.

However, if you intend to remove spruce after a SSA, the details collected can be used for future tree health pilot applications.

Who can apply

You must be the landowner or have management control of the land to be eligible to apply.

You must own spruce trees (Picea A. Dietr.) in the proactive spruce removal area. Check the map to see if your land is inside the proactive spruce removal area viewable on Forestry Commission’s map browser (select proactive spruce removal area under constraints).

The map includes the priority spruce removal area, which represents where wind dispersal mapping has indicated the highest risk of the beetle blowing over from the continent.

Alternatively, an agent can apply on your behalf by submitting a completed agent authority form.

The person carrying out the assessment should be adequately experienced in planning and managing felling and replanting operations.

What land is eligible

Only one property is eligible per SSA grant agreement. You must include all spruce on the property in the SSA form.

The land you are applying to survey must:

• include a minimum of 0.5ha of spruce – this can be broken down into any sized blocks, but the total must be at least 0.5ha
• have at least 0.5ha of spruce on the property that is completely within the proactive spruce removal area
• be under a single ownership
• not fall under an existing SPHN for Ips typographus or have Ips typographus identified as being present
• not fall under an existing proactive spruce removal offer agreement within the tree health pilot

What to include in your assessment form

You must undertake the assessment on the SSA form and provide clear details to help inform costing of felling, extraction and restocking operations. This includes:

Location

Map all the spruce on the property.

Condition

Check and record the health of the trees and any susceptible material, for example, needle density and colour, dieback or canopy decline, extent of windblown or snapped spruce, damage, harvesting residues or log stacks.

Site constraints

Identify any existing:

• operational challenges, for example difficult access, steep slopes, hard-to-reach areas or wet ground
• environmental concerns, for example watercourses, special designations or priority habitats
• social issues, for example public rights of way or nearby homes

Expected costs

Estimate costs for all operations and activities required to fell, extract and restock all the spruce on the property, according to the identified constraints.

Funding is available through the proactive spruce felling grant (under the tree health pilot) to assist with the cost of felling spruce. You should include estimates for any potential grant support in your SSA survey.

The tree health pilot can pay a percentage of actual costs for felling, infrastructure required for removal of trees, and aid restocking through providing standard item costs.

Rates for felling and associated costs of proactive spruce removal

These intervention rates pay a percentage of actual costs for felling trees.

80% of felling costs will be paid if one of the following apply:  

• the spruce being felled is wholly within the priority spruce removal area
• the application includes areas of spruce within the priority spruce removal area and also in the wider proactive spruce removal area – at least 0.5ha of spruce being felled must fall within the priority spruce removal area
• the spruce being felled is within the wider proactive spruce removal area and has low resilience to Ips typographus. This is subject to a SSA being in place which identifies presence and location of susceptible material. This will be verified by a Forestry Commission Woodland Officer when proactive felling is applied for through the tree health pilot

40% of felling costs will be paid if proactive felling within the proactive spruce removal area does not meet the 80% rate criteria. Only felling within the proactive spruce removal area is eligible for funding.

Applications including a combination of both intervention rates will not be accepted.

These rates are based on quotes for actual felling cost. This is independent of any timber income.

Rates for permanent infrastructure

This intervention rate pays up to 100% of actual costs for permanent infrastructure. It is capped at £30 per m² or £100 per linear m.

Funding caps within proactive spruce removal

The maximum application value for the proactive spruce felling grant under the tree health pilot is £100,000 collectively for felling, infrastructure and biosecurity. Applications for proactive felling can include replanting and maintenance, which will not be included in the £100,000 cap.

Map of operations

Provide clear and detailed map(s) showing the plan for spruce removal based on your survey.

You must include the following information on any map:

• map title
• agreement reference
• author name
• date
• national grid reference
• key
• scale
• all areas of spruce on the property: locations of small groups or individual trees can be indicative
• proposed felling operation required to remove spruce (clearfell/selective group felling/thinning/individual trees)
• all felling constraints
• new infrastructure requirements or improvements including lengths or area

Land not eligible

Land is not eligible for this grant if:

• there is less than 0.5ha of spruce trees on the property within the proactive spruce removal area
• you already have a tree health pilot agreement for proactive spruce removal on the survey area
• spruce trees within the application are under an existing SPHN
• Forest Research have confirmed the presence of Ips typographus on your property

Your application may be rejected if:

• mandatory documentation, such as a map or agent authority form, is not provided or is incomplete/inaccurate
• it contains false or misleading information
• it is for activities outside the scope of an SSA

How to apply

Email us to request an application form: SSAenquiries@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

Enter ‘Spruce Site Assessment application form request’ in the email subject line.

We will email an application form to you.

Deadline and when to apply

Grants are offered on a first-come-first-served basis.

The SSA grant is open for applications with a limited number of agreements being available on a first-come first-served basis.

After you have applied

We will tell you if you are successful or not within 2 to 6 weeks of receiving your application.

If your application is successful, we will send you:

• an agreement offer letter
• the grant terms and conditions
• the SSA survey form
• SSA claim forms

You must sign and return the agreement offer and terms and conditions to accept the grant offer.

Return by email or post:

Email: SSAenquiries@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

Post:

Forestry Commission
Incentives, Development and Compliance Team (Tree Health, spruce management)
620 Bristol Business Park
Coldharbour Lane
Bristol
BS16 1EJ

You can make a complaint or appeal against a Forestry Commission decision.

After you have signed your agreement

You will have 6 months to complete and submit your survey, which includes:

• the SSA survey
• associated map(s) of operations
• claim forms

Photos of spruce found that represents spruce condition can be attached to the survey, but this is not required.

You can submit via email or post.

Any subsequent application for funding towards proactive felling may require evidence in the form of quotes for the work, which can be scoped out during the SSA.

The agreement holder must provide feedback at the request of the Forestry Commission and/or Defra throughout the duration of the agreement to input into Ips typographus grant evaluation and development.

If a felling licence is needed, submit a felling licence application at the earliest opportunity: apply online for a felling licence.

Refer to the SSA grant terms and conditions for more information.

Further information

For further information email us at: SSAenquiries@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

Find out what grants are available under the tree health pilot scheme.

Read further Ips typographus resources:

• Ips typographus
• Ips typographus (Forest Research)