Article

Future for red squirrels

This page introduces key organisations aiming to protect red squirrels and is followed by sections on red squirrel conservation, grey squirrel management, and potential for pine martens to suppress grey squirrel numbers in some areas.

Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrel UK Squirrel Accord The Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels The UK Squirrel Accord (UKSA) is a (SSRS) project aims to protect the red partnership of 37 leading conservation Red squirrel © Jo Foo Wildlife Photography squirrel in the only region of and woodland organisations, mainland UK where it remains the including the RSFS, Government only resident squirrel species: agencies and companies. Created at The European Squirrel Initiative Grampian, Argyll and the Highlands. the invitation of HRH Prince Charles, The European Squirrel Initiative UKSA works collaboratively to (ESI) was established in 2002 by a A second aim is to protect red preserve the UK’s wooded landscapes group of concerned conservationists, squirrels in a number of large and associated biodiversity through: foresters, scientists and landowners. landscapes across southern Scotland. The objectives of the organisation are Here populations of the native • Securing and expanding the UK’s restoring the native red squirrel and species are mostly intermixed with red squirrel populations protecting the natural environment the invasive grey squirrel, but are • Ensuring woodlands flourish and by removing the alien grey squirrel still widespread and contiguous deliver multiple benefits for future from Europe. The role of ESI is to: with the largest English red squirrel generations of people and wildlife. populations. • Persuade conservation bodies Building on the work of earlier UKSA is committed to the effective and governments of the absolute local red squirrel projects, SSRS and targeted management of grey necessity of ridding Europe of grey was launched in 2009 to deliver squirrels, and protection of red squirrels the grey squirrel control and public squirrels by: • Continue to commission research engagement elements of the Scottish • Producing communications, into the impact of grey squirrels Government’s 2006–2011 Red including through landowners on local ecosystems Squirrel Action Plan, which had been and local volunteer groups, to • Facilitate research to find an urgently formulated to address the ensure the public understand the effective and acceptable method of continuing decline of the red squirrel importance of its work control. in Scotland. Complementary action by • Working with and building on ESI believes this will be achieved by: Scottish Forestry (formerly Forestry existing partnerships to ensure all • Conserving and restoring the Commission Scotland) includes forest relevant landowners are aware of native red squirrel species together management to favour red squirrels the impact of grey squirrels with its woodland habitats and by in 19 Red Squirrel Stronghold forest • Offering practical support removing the impact and threat of areas, as well as Scottish Government and advice on grey squirrel the alien grey squirrel agency support for red squirrel management and red squirrel • Advancing and promoting the conservation research. conservation education of the public in the The SSRS project is run by the • Securing a long-term commitment conservation restoration of the Scottish Wildlife Trust in partnership to practical action and scientific native species and the detrimental with Scottish Natural Heritage, research, developing and testing impact of the grey squirrel Scottish Forestry, Scottish Land & innovative management methods, • Carrying out research into the Estates, RSPB Scotland and the Red publicising case studies of promotion and restoration of the Squirrel Survival Trust. exemplary management, and red squirrel https://scottishsquirrels.org.uk/ bringing groups together to ensure • Raising funding for research into they work effectively and to a acceptable method of grey squirrel common purpose. control http://squirrelaccord.uk/ https://www.europeansquirrelinitiative. org/

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Ten years of Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels

Conservation of red squirrels cannot be successful without addressing their primary threat: replacement by grey squirrels through resource competition, accelerated by squirrel pox disease where it is present. In Scotland, grey squirrel control is carried out by live-catch cage-traps combined with humane despatch of the target animal at the trap-side, so that red squirrels may be released unharmed. The scale of the grey squirrel control task falling to SSRS demanded a strategic approach from the outset, focussing effort where it was likely to have the greatest beneficial impact on Scotland’s red squirrel population. Thus the project has three different geographical regions of operation, each Family engagement in the spring feeder-box surveys. © Jo Foo Wildlife Photography with its own aims: In Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire the spread of squirrel pox northward red squirrel protection in a limited the long-term goal is eradication of an from the English border. More recently number of landscapes, where existing isolated population of squirrel pox-free the aim of grey squirrel control here protection networks were successfully grey squirrels. has been to protect red squirrel enabling red squirrels to thrive despite In the Central Lowlands (Tayside, populations in ‘priority’ areas. the presence of squirrel pox virus. Stirling and the Trossachs) the aim is SSRS is now in the latest of four Mathematical modelling of the disease to prevent northward encroachment phases. In Phase 1 (2009–12) we dynamics in red and grey squirrels of grey squirrels into core ‘red only’ set up landscape-scale grey squirrel in southern Scotland (White et al, areas through a programme of grey control networks in Aberdeenshire 2016) confirmed that red squirrels in a squirrel control coast to coast along and the Central Lowlands through landscape could recover and thrive if the Highland Line. a combination of project staff, agri- grey squirrel population densities were In South Scotland, the initial aim environment funded landowners and kept very low. was to contain or significantly slow trap-loan volunteers. It was critical Our work has always depended to be able to judge the effectiveness on a great deal of public support, Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels Priority Areas of grey squirrel control on this scale, particularly the active participation Priority Areas for Red so we also established systematic of landowners and volunteers in project activity squirrels monitoring and evidence collection. delivering both our grey squirrel Grey Red and grey In 2012 SSRS merged with the control and annual survey programs. squirrels squirrels long-running Red Squirrels in South The current five-year ‘Developing Scotland project, which was working Community Action’ project to combat the spread of the squirrel (2017–22), supported by funding from pox virus that had newly arrived across the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Cumbrian border. By 2014 we were sees us providing our volunteers with able to show that red squirrel decline an enhanced programme of support had been halted or even reversed and training in the skills needed in all three project regions, and in to create successful long-term red South Scotland we had significantly squirrel protection networks. The slowed down the spread of squirrel main focus of this is South Scotland, pox virus. Unfortunately, we were not while we continue our established able to contain it altogether and the conservation work in Aberdeen and virus continued to extend its range the Central Lowlands. through resident grey squirrels as far Commercial forestry still provides as Edinburgh and Glasgow. a huge amount of habitat for red At this stage we refocussed control squirrels, and Forestry and Land effort in South Scotland towards Scotland (formerly Forest Enterprise

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Scotland) assist red squirrels by including their needs in many Grey squirrel management and control long-term forest plans, as well as contributing to SSRS’s control work Grey squirrels damage woodland by Live traps must be used where red in the national forest estate. Private stripping the outer bark from the squirrels are present. The positioning woodland managers in priority areas main stem and the branches of trees of traps is vital as grey squirrels move can help by permitting access to to eat the soft inner tissue beneath. from residential areas to feeding areas, project staff and trained volunteers The tree eventually develops a callous often along regular corridors following for surveys and grey squirrel control over the wound, concealing the loss of scent trails. These corridors should work or, where eligible, by carrying timber quality. In severe cases, bark is be targeted for traps for both young out control work themselves through removed in a complete circle around squirrels moving into a woodland in the Forestry Grant Scheme. One the tree, known as ring barking or June and September, and for resident of the simplest things everyone girdling, preventing a flow of squirrels. Indiscriminate siting of traps across Scotland can do to help is nutrients up the tree. This leads to has little value. report sightings of both squirrel the death and/or wind snapping of the Traps must be pre-baited for a few species on the project’s website. tree above the wound, causing gross days before setting. Grey squirrels Advice on the available support for deformation and, in older trees, the must then be humanely dispatched, woodland managers in red squirrel loss of the entire tree. Grey squirrels ideally by encouraging the squirrel into priority areas can be downloaded at also damage the base of root a bag and then administering a swift scottishsquirrels.org.uk/publications buttresses of mature thinner-barked blow. Whilst the SWT is committed to trees such as beech, and branches in red squirrel conservation over the the crown of thicker-barked Kill traps can only be used where long term, the contribution made by species such as oak and pine. Serious grey squirrels only are present. Again, ordinary people is crucial if future damage may be caused in just a few they must be pre-baited. Currently the generations are to see red squirrels in days. There is evidence that squirrels most popular kill traps are the Mark4 Scotland’s woodlands. return to particular trees over and Mark6 fenn spring trap and the Mel Tonkin several years. Repeated damage Magnum trap. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels impairs cambial growth and allows All traps, both live and kill traps decay into the stem. When the tree is must be checked on a daily basis. Reference felled and the result of several years’ A recent innovation is the Good White A. et al (2016) Modelling disease worth of bark damage can be seen on Nature kill trap developed in New spread in real landscapes: Squirrel the stem, it may be necessary to move Zealand. As of 1 January 2019, the pox spread in Southern Scotland as a section of the stump before the log GN18 is now fully licensed and a case study. Hystrix http://www. can be presented for sale. available to be used for grey squirrel italian-journal-of-ammalogy.it/article/ Controlling grey squirrels presents control. view/11657/pdf a challenge and various methods of Work is going on into fertility control are available including: control, but an effective solution is a • Shooting /drey poking few years away. • Live trapping/single cage traps, Andrew Kendall, multi-cage traps The European Squirrel Initiative • Kill traps New methods of control are in the pipeline such as fertility control, improved lures and biological methods based on predators such as pine martens.

Shooting and drey poking – Normally carried out through the winter months it has variable results. Grey squirrels are not always in dreys, more often in holes in trees. The best time to shoot is on a wet day as grey squirrels will be in their dreys. Shooting can deliver part of an overall solution when well co-ordinated and with the establishment of group shooting clubs can be effective. The pine marten may help reduce numbers of Tree damaged by grey squirrel. © ESI grey squirrels in some areas. © ESI

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The pine marten and grey squirrels

Amidst all the challenges for SSRS, a Meanwhile grey squirrel control must from the evidence we saw that pine new ally for red squirrel conservation continue by human agency. martens had very little impact on other work in Scotland appears to be ESI recognises that pine martens can fauna, in particular game birds and emerging in the form of the pine be an effective, method of biological other woodland nesting birds.” martens, now rapidly recovering from control for grey squirrels in the mix ESI appreciates that while there near-extinction. There is accumulating of options available to land managers, are positive benefits of pine marten, evidence that this native predator can foresters and conservationists. Recent their spread needs to be treated with benefit red squirrels by suppressing research, in part supported by ESI, caution and recognises that there are competing grey squirrel populations. carried out by the Universities of only certain parts of the UK mainland Some examples of this apparently in Aberdeen and Galway, shows that where they would have a meaningful action are: mid-Tweeddale, where red pine martens cause a decline in grey role, particularly the uplands and squirrels have persisted despite long- squirrels but has yet to determine why. semi-upland areas, while their term grey squirrel presence; Galloway “Recent evidence obtained during a presence in the lowlands may be less Forest Park, where grey squirrels have field visit to Northern Ireland helped effective or not tolerated for a number been extremely slow to invade; and us to further define our position on of reasons. Part of the concern is that Strathyre, in the Trossachs, where the role pine martens may have,” said as pine martens are heavily protected, established grey squirrel populations Charles Dutton of ESI. there are no mechanisms to control crashed when pine martens arrived, “While there is evidence to show populations should numbers get out of followed by the return of reds. that the presence of pine marten hand. In line with other conservation Caution is needed at this stage reduces grey squirrel numbers we were organisations ESI does not support any as we do not know if pine martens concerned about potential collateral illegal releases of wildlife or release of will be helpful in all circumstances. damage. However, we were reassured pine martens in an uncontrolled way.

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