The UK Squirrel Accord (UKSA) was recently honoured by its partner the Countryside Management Association (CMA). At the CMA 60th Anniversary Conference, UKSA received an award for its dedication to the protection of the UK’s woodlands and red squirrels.

UKSA works in partnership to protect red squirrels, trees and woodland ecosystems, and reduce the negative impacts of grey squirrels. Introduced grey squirrels cause local extinctions of red squirrels through competition and disease transmission, and bark strip young broadleaf trees, stressing and killing them and reducing the health of woodland ecosystems.

UKSA is also working on a grey squirrel fertility control that would offer an effective new and non-lethal option for grey squirrel management. The research is funded by UKSA, which is currently fundraising to complete the work, and its supporters, and delivered through the Animal & Plant Health Agency. This could significantly benefit aims to remove grey squirrels across landscapes to protect ecologically and economically important trees, and enable red squirrel recovery.

 

Mark Baker CMA (right) presents Woodland Magic Award to Kay Haw UKSA (left)

 

Woodland Magic Award

This is a relatively new award from CMA, starting last year and focusing on those working hard for the future of the UK’s woods. Wonderfully called the George Mist Award for Woodland Magic thanks to CMA Honorary Fellow George Mist, the award is presented annually at the CMA conference and then passed to a new worthy recipient the following year. Nominees do not have to be CMA members, so maybe you know a project, initiative or innovative practice that deserves to be nominated.

Mark Baker – CMA Director and Secretary – awarding the trophy said: “We were delighted to present this year’s George Mist Award for Woodland Magic to the UK Squirrel Accord. The CMA have been a signatory for several years and we appreciate the crucial importance of effective, widespread grey squirrel management to protect the woodlands of the future.  We recognise the tireless work of Kay and her colleagues in developing strategies, securing funding and undertaking research into grey squirrel fertility control – an approach which we believe could offer a more humane and effective method to protect our trees from grey squirrel damage, benefitting woodland ecosystems and the climate.”

Kay Haw – UKSA Director – receiving the trophy said: “It was a delight to be part of CMA’s 60th anniversary and an honour to receive this beautiful award on behalf of the UKSA partnership. Dedicated signatories like CMA make a real difference to our work delivering effective, collaborative action to ensure we have healthy trees and woods for the future. We hope there are many more successful years ahead for CMA and congratulate their many achievements.”

 

 

Tree Damage Survey

Before the award was presented, Kay outlined some of UKSA’s work to the fantastic CMA conference attendees. One key action UKSA is encouraging everyone to get involved in is the Tree Damage Survey. Individuals are asked to go out into UK woodlands to carry out the Grey Squirrel Activity and Impact Assessment originally designed by another UKSA partner The National Forest. The assessment is also a requirement for anyone benefitting from the Forestry Commission’s CWS3 grant that funds grey squirrel management in England – please feed results into the UKSA survey.

The assessment method involves individual’s conducting a line transect through woods to record bark stripping damage at intervals. The results feed into a better understanding and evidence base of the damage being wrought on our trees and woods through grey squirrel bark stripping. They can also feed into woodland management plans to better protect young trees. The methodology, recording sheet and survey link are all available on the UKSA website – please get involved and share.

While UKSA will be sad to give CMA’s beautiful Woodland Magic trophy back next year, it will certainly be passed to another deserving recipient to celebrate the wonderful work taking place across the UK’s woodlands. Do you know a project, initiative or innovative practice you could nominate?

UK Squirrel Accord