HEF5: Control scrub on historic and archaeological features

This is an action in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme: expanded offer for 2024. You must read the SFI scheme information to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.

Duration

5 years

How much you’ll be paid

£215 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there’s a well-managed, intact grass sward growing over the historic or archaeological feature throughout the year, with minimal scrub cover and bare ground.

The purpose of this is to:

• protect historic and archaeological features
• reduce the risk of root damage to historic and archaeological features
• reduce diffuse pollution and soil erosion, depending on the site’s location
• help maintain and conserve landscape character

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on land located above and below the moorland line that’s:

• identified on your SFI Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER) as containing an historic or archaeological feature – you must get a SFI HEFER before you apply for this action
• got existing scrub cover on more than 5% of its area
• an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information)
• registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
• declared with a land use code that’s compatible with the eligible land cover

Eligible land

Eligibility of protected land

Available area you can enter into this action

Total or part of the available area in a land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.

What to do

You must manage the area containing the historic or archaeological feature in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. This includes:

• maintaining an intact grass sward
• minimising bare ground and soil erosion
• removing around a quarter of the scrub during the autumn and winter months each year
• preventing and controlling scrub regrowth

You must not:

• cut and remove scrub between early March and late September
• grub out stumps and roots
• plough, cultivate, re-seed, harrow or roll the area entered into this action
• carry out supplementary feeding on or within around 6m of the historic or archaeological feature
• locate vehicle or stock access routes within around 6m of the historic or archaeological feature (existing surfaced tracks can be used)

Before you remove scrub or trees, you must get any relevant consents, permissions or licences. For example, you may need to apply for:

• a felling licence from the Forestry Commission
• a forestry environmental impact assessment (EIA) from the Forestry Commission
• an agriculture EIA ‘screening decision’ from Natural England

Read section 10 ‘Get all necessary regulatory consents, permissions and licences in place’ in the SFI scheme information.

When to do it

You must do this action from its start date, throughout each year of this action’s 5-year duration.

How to do it

It’s up to you how you do this action, as long as you:

• follow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must’
• do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim

You may find it helpful to read the ‘advice to help you do this action’, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.

Evidence to keep

You must keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:

• field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
• photographs of the historic or archaeological feature and the extent of scrub cover before you start doing this action

If it’s not clear that you’ve done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, we may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if we ask for it.

Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action

You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action.

Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read ‘What to do’ and ‘When to do it’ to find out when this action must be done.

Scheme | Action or option codes |
---|---|---
SFI 2024 actions | OFC1, OFC2, OFM1, OFM2, OFM3, PRF2, UPL1, UPL2, UPL3, UPL7, UPL8, UPL9, UPL10, CIPM1, CNUM1, CMOR1, CSAM1 |
SFI 2023 actions | IPM1, NUM1, MOR1, SAM1 |
CS options | UP1, OR1, OR2, OT1, OT2, OT6 |
ES options | No ES revenue options |
SFI pilot standards | No area-based SFI pilot standards |

If an action or option cannot be located on the same area, you may be able to do it on a different area in the same land parcel. Read section 6 ‘Eligible land in other funding schemes’ in the SFI scheme information for more details.

You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:

• SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2 and WBD2
• SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
• CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
• the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard

Advice to help you do this action

The following advice may help you to do this action, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.

Removing scrub

You can remove scrub by:

• mowing
• flailing
• using a chainsaw or strimmer
• clearing by hand

If possible, try to:

• remove all cut material from the site
• plan work so that extraction routes, bonfire sites, timber processing and storage sites are located away from the historic and archaeological features

Controlling scrub regrowth

You can control scrub regrowth using:

• livestock grazing
• machinery
• chemicals to treat roots

[SFI]: Sustainable Farming Incentive [HEFER]: Historic Environment Farm Environment Record [SSSIs]: sites of special scientific interest [SSSI]: site of special scientific interest [EIA]: Environmental Impact Assessment [CS]: Countryside Stewardship *[ES]: Environmental Stewardship