Dales Fringe Current Initiatives

Current initiatives

Woodland Grand Scheme

The majority of woodlands in the Dales Fringe are managed or planted under Woodland Grant Scheme contracts, and particularly those within the larger estates.

Countryside Stewardship

The amount of land in Countryside Stewardship varies considerably across the area. Existing agreements are mostly for uplands, waterside land, old meadows and pastures, arable, arable margins and field boundaries. Countryside Stewardship was replaced by Environmental Stewardship in 2005. Existing agreements, which last for 10 years, will progressively expire. Some of these may be replaced by new agreements under Environmental Stewardship.

Environmental Stewardship

Environmental Stewardship incorporates a higher level scheme providing funding for restoration, creation and specialised management works and an entry level scheme to support positive management of environmental features. The scheme was introduced in 2005 and take up in the area has been modest to date due to the presence of existing Countryside Stewardship Agreements. It is anticipated that while take up of the entry level scheme may be high in the area, higher level schemes may be limited in number.

Local Environment Agency Plans

The area falls within the Local Environment Agency Plan (LEAP) for the Tees catchment. The LEAP contains proposals for maintaining and improving water quality and biodiversity.

Further Information

• Dales Fringe Trends and Pressures
• Dales Fringe Strategy
• Dales Fringe Assets and Attributes

For further information about Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship visit English Heritage‘s website. Information on the English Woodland Grant Scheme can be found on the Forestry Commission website.