Endangered red squirrels have been found for the first time in an 18-hectare Sitka spruce plantation in the Western Yorkshire Dales.  This positive news is being announced to coincide with Red Squirrel Appreciation Day (21 January).

Reds had not been seen in the plantation before and the UK Squirrel Accord’s project officer, Julie Bailey, identified them.  She believes the colony will prosper and increase.   Since the squirrels have been confirmed, the owners now plan to manage the landscape with the population in mind.

Project Officer Bailey explained: “The plantation owners gave permission to survey a specific area using thermal imaging technology that picks up body heat.   I found four individual red squirrels.  I then placed two cameras in the area and was able to confirm a new colony of red squirrels.  The plantation owners were delighted.”

They have given Julie permission to extend her survey to cover the whole of the plantation.  She has established a new volunteer group, The Yorkshire Dales Red Squirrel Alliance, as part of a pilot project to protect red squirrels and tree health funded by the Forestry Commission – a UK Squirrel Accord signatory.  Local volunteers are being encouraged to join. Contact SquirrelOfficers@squirrelaccord.uk

“One local volunteer who lives close to the plantation has, for some time, been managing non-native grey squirrels and his work has enabled these reds to move into the plantation,” she adds.

There are other red squirrel populations within a few miles of the plantation and Julie is optimistic for the future of the native species in the Western Yorkshire Dales.

Rebecca Isted, Forestry Commission Squirrel Policy Advisor, said: “Our native red squirrels are an important part of our natural heritage and the discovery of a new population in North Yorkshire is a positive step in our shared aim to protect, identify and strengthen populations across England.

“Red squirrels are endangered and we estimate there are fewer than 40,000 left in England. The Forestry Commission is committed to supporting the survival and recovery of our native species in woodlands across the country.”

The UK Squirrel Accord is a partnership of 45 conservation and forestry organisations working across the UK to protect red squirrels and tree health.  Two project officers, including Julie Bailey, are working in Yorkshire, Lancashire and County Durham to increase red squirrel numbers, encourage tree protection and undertake grey squirrel management.  To date they have engaged over 1,000 stakeholders across more than 400,000 hectares of land, and welcome anyone that wants to get involved.