Vole Guard

Date published: 14 November, 2022

The vole guard must be made of plastic, or bioplastic and be flexible enough to expand or unroll to allow plant growth.

The width must be no less than three centimetres. The height must be a minimum of 20 centimetres and a maximum of 50 centimetres.

The guard must be positioned into the ground around the stem of the young plant.

The immediate surrounding area must be strimmed or cut to prevent voles climbing vegetation and bypassing vole guards.

Section 34 of the Environment Protection Act 1990 places a Duty of Care on all landowners in Scotland to store and dispose of waste appropriately. Once redundant, all tree shelters and vole guards must be removed and reused, recycled or disposed of appropriately.

Please make sure you abide by conditions set out in the Forestry Grant Scheme claim form and guidance.

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