I agree that it is all baffling (especially since they insist in printing half of it in Welsh over here!!) but we always found the local govt office very helpful (ours is in Carmarthen). The whole Glastir thing is a complete nightmare as far as I am concerned and the single payment form (which is now only available online) appears very complex when you start, since you need to get all the maps and field references sorted - then it gets easier. For a small farm (we are about 14 acres) it is a real pain since you have all the paperwork associated with a larger property but don't get to be able to claim any money back!!! Grrr!
However, when you mention woodland my eyes lit up. The Forestry people are brilliant (once you track them down). We have 2 acres or so of wet woodland and decided to extend it up the steep slope (too bloody steep to do anything else on with safety) and got a grant to plant, fence, weed and maintain the new woodland. The local guy even came out to see us, talked through the forms, helped create the maps and do the application for us. Well worth while.
The other people to contact would be Farming Connect (who I think have just changed their name). This is our biggest source of frustration since it is designed to help build skills, provide advice and the like (they will pay 80% of training course to learn how to spray yourself with pesticide (or not), how not to kill your sheep when transporting them and so on!). The trouble is, at 14 acres we are too small to qualify, even though our local rep was sure that since we had a woodland improvement grant it was automatic for us. Even she is frustrated. We go to all the local meetings, farm visits and events and they are really useful, we just cannot get any financial assistance - it is even driving the rep nuts trying on our behalf. At 40 acres you may find a way to qualify and is a useful source of help and perhaps money.
Remember, all the schemes over here in Wales is slightly different to England (I think) and definitely different to Scotland so be wary of generic advice. Good luck, and invest in a good pair of wellies - you will need them over here (but we love it anyway since moving over here 4 years ago).
Steve