TE16: Use tree surgery to ‘hinge’ a tree into a watercourse Grant

About this grant

TE16 is a capital grant item under Natural England's Capital Grants 2026 programme that funds tree surgery to 'hinge' trees into watercourses. Hinging involves cutting partway through a tree or single stem so it can be bent into or across a watercourse while continuing to grow. The hinged tree creates living woody habitat for invertebrates and fish, provides shade and shelter, deflects water flow to restore habitat diversity, creates pools and areas of varying water flow for wildlife habitat, and acts as a leaky barrier to manage floodplain inundation during high flows. This item supports biodiversity protection, recovery and improvement on agricultural land through natural flood management and river restoration approaches.

Eligibility

Applicants must be landowners or agricultural operators in England with watercourses on their land. The item can only be used to hinge whole trees or single stems with a diameter greater than 30cm into or across a watercourse, and applicants must have a tree hinging plan approved by Natural England or the Forestry Commission. The item cannot be used for work required for health and safety purposes, trees showing signs of disease such as Phytophthora ramorum, or for bank protection against natural erosion. Applicants can use this item as part of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier applications or with the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.

Key requirements

• ✓Applicant must meet Natural England eligibility criteria
• ✓Project must involve tree surgery and hinged tree placement into watercourses
• ✓Work must align with Natural England's environmental and habitat restoration objectives

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply for TE16: Use tree surgery to ‘hinge’ a tree into a watercourse?

Eligibility covers organisations in GB; nonprofit, charity, local-authority, community-group. See the eligibility criteria above for the full conditions.

Relevant sectors

About this sector

Biodiversity funding backs habitat restoration, species protection, protected areas and nature-positive business. It comes from environment agencies, multilateral nature funds and conservation philanthropy, often through competitive calls with defined regions. Applicants are usually asked for baseline surveys, local partners and indicators that show ecological change.