Novel squirrel trap to reduce management costs by 80%

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_This project lead by Norbury Estate in conjunction with partners Bradford Estates and T.O.C Ltd aims to test two innovative designs of squirrel trap which can hopefully be used to significantly reduce the population of grey squirrels in the UK.__Grey squirrels cause an estimated £40 million worth of damage to UK forestry annually. The damage caused by grey squirrels not only effects the economics of the forestry sector but also the ecosystem services it can provide. Grey squirrels damage and remove bark from trees which causes mortality or damage and reduced growth. Trees and forests are a vital part of the governments zero emissions targets however trees growing at sub optimal productivity due to squirrel damage do not sequester carbon at optimal levels. Government planting targets over the next 20 years are ambitious and well-funded through various grant systems however many deciduous trees planted now will not survive to maturity without suffering significant damage if grey squirrel numbers are not reduced. Grey squirrel damage reduces the potential of a tree to deliver high quality timber products which can continue to store carbon long after the life cycle of the tree.__We aim to develop a low input, humane, self-baiting trap that can reduce squirrel trapping costs by 80%._