Why Newly Planted Trees Are So Vulnerable

A bare-root whip planted in November is a small, soft, nutrient-rich thing — and to a deer, a rabbit or a hare, it looks like lunch. Unlike a mature oak with thick, corky bark, a young tree has tender shoots within easy reach and thin bark that a rabbit can strip in a single sitting.

The damage takes several forms. Browsing is the most obvious: deer nibble the leader and side shoots, typically up to about 1.8 metres, while rabbits and hares graze lower down. Losing the leading shoot usually triggers a bushy, multi-stemmed response that ruins the tree's eventual timber form. Bark stripping is worse. Rabbits gnaw bark from ground level to around 60 centimetres, and if they ring the stem completely, the tree is girdled and will die. Fallow and red deer also fray young stems with their antlers in autumn, shredding bark and snapping trunks. Voles and squirrels add their own smaller, quieter losses.

The result is rarely a dramatic wipeout. More often it is a slow attrition — a woodland that thins out patchily, with gaps where the best trees should be.

Walk the Site Before You Plant

Protection should be planned before the first spade goes in, and that means reading the site honestly. Look for deer droppings, well-worn tracks, fraying scars on hedgerow stems and a visible browse line where foliage has been grazed to a uniform height. Check hedgerows and field margins for rabbit warrens, and note whether neighbouring land offers cover or is grazed bare.

Heavy deer pressure across a large new wood usually calls for fencing rather than individual guards. Scattered rabbits around the edges can often be managed with guards and a little habitat tidying. Snow and hard frosts make everything worse, because animals turn to woody growth when grass is unavailable — so a site that seems fine in a mild winter may suffer badly in a cold one.

Choosing the Right Tree Guard or Shelter

There is no single best guard; match it to the animal you actually have.

• Spiral guards are inexpensive and quick to fit, wrapping around the stem to about 60 centimetres. They suit rabbit pressure but need a cane for support and must be removed before they restrict the growing trunk.
• Mesh guards allow better airflow and light, and are excellent for rabbits and hares. Sixty centimetres is a minimum; 120 centimetres offers more breathing room on vigorous species.
• Solid tube shelters at 1.2 to 1.8 metres protect against deer and boost early height growth on exposed sites. They must be weeded around the base, and removed after five to eight years before the tree outgrows them.
• Tall mesh guards of 1.5 metres or more work well for deer where fencing is impractical, but need a sturdy double stake to survive wind.
• Vole collars — a fine mesh sleeve around the base — are worth fitting where grass competition and small mammal damage are known problems.

Whichever you choose, tie the tree loosely in a figure-of-eight so the stem can move. A guard that rubs is nearly as damaging as the animal it keeps out.

When Fencing Is the Better Answer

Where deer numbers are high, fencing a whole compartment is often cheaper per tree than guarding hundreds individually, and far more effective. Deer fencing generally runs to 1.8 metres, and up to 2 metres where red deer are present. Rabbit netting should have a 31 millimetre mesh, stand around 1.05 metres high, and include a skirt of 15 to 30 centimetres either buried or turned outwards and pegged down — rabbits dig, and a fence sitting neatly on the surface is an invitation.

Posts every three metres, proper strainers at corners and gates, and correct tension make the difference between a fence that lasts fifteen years and one that sags by spring. Electric fencing offers a useful temporary option around small plantings or coppice regrowth. Whatever you install, walk the line after storms and check gates, gaps and fallen branches; a single breach can undo a season's work.

Regular Checks Make the Difference

Protection is not a one-off job. In the first two years, aim to inspect guards and fences monthly, and more often through spring and early summer when new growth is softest and rabbit pressure peaks. After gales or heavy snow, go round again.

Look for browsed leaders, fresh bark wounds, split or rubbing guards, loose stakes, and guards choked with grass or leaf litter. Clear weeds from around shelters — a tube full of shading vegetation produces a weak, spindly tree. Replace failed trees promptly, and record what you find, so you can see whether damage is concentrated at a particular edge or in a particular year.

Planting Well Reduces the Pressure

Good establishment stacks the odds in your favour. Plant sturdy transplants of 60 to 90 centimetres where budgets allow, as they shrug off light browsing better than small whips. Mix species suited to the site, and accept that palatable favourites such as willow, rowan and hazel will always attract attention — scatter them among less tempting neighbours rather than in solid blocks.

Keep rough grass mown around the planting area to remove rabbit cover, and clear brash piles that harbour them. Where deer pressure is manageable, allowing some natural regeneration alongside planted stock can create a more resilient, uneven wood. With sensible guards, sound fencing and a habit of regular walking, those young trees will get their roots down — and a wood that establishes well in its first five years will look after itself for the next hundred.