Rural Payments and Services

This item is for protecting natural regeneration in native woodlands where an individual seedling is seen to be at risk from browsing and where the seedling’s protection is crucial to meet the objectives of the Woodland Improvement Grant – Habitats and Species option. You must record the areas where protection of natural regeneration is taking place on a map.

The stake must penetrate the ground to a depth of at least 30 centimetres. The stake must be below the lip of the tree-shelter but 10 centimetres above the upper tie.

Ties must not encircle the tree. You should take care to ensure the lower tie does not ensnare the tree.

The top of the tree shelter should be of rounded or folded design to reduce the risk of damage to the emerging tree. The tree shelter must be pushed into the ground to reduce the likelihood of damage by voles. The length of tree shelter required is dependent upon the type of browsing that is likely to occur.

We require that at year five following the date you received your payment, that the trees and shrubs protected are healthy and in a condition capable of continued growth subject to normal ongoing maintenance operations such as protection from inappropriate grazing by wild or domestic animals.