Burrator Forest, a 353-hectare woodland beside Burrator Reservoir on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, shows how difficult tree protection can be in shared countryside. The site is owned by South West Water and managed by South West Lakes Trust, which looks after more than 50 sites across south-west England. That gives Burrator a double role: it is both a public-facing place and a working woodland with native and non-native species to protect. Common land rights mean local people can graze animals on the neighbouring moor, and there is no continuous fence line separating that ground from the forest. Even with gates and stiles in place, weak points appear when visitors leave gates open or fencing is damaged. Once that happens, livestock from the moor or nearby farms can move into young woodland that is highly vulnerable to browsing.

Between 2024 and 2025, that pressure translated into a clear financial hit. South West Lakes Trust lost around £5,500 worth of conifer trees to livestock grazing over an 18-month period. The loss also exposed a wider management dilemma: the Trust does not fit tree guards unless it really has to, which keeps material use down but leaves new planting exposed when animals get through. There is also a heavy labour cost behind every breach. Staff have spent hours trying to move ponies back out of the woodland, especially where thick vegetation has built up inside the fence line. Across the Trust's estate, annual fencing maintenance already runs into hundreds of thousands of pounds. In response, Burrator is now fitting self-closing mechanisms to gates, while volunteers patrol fence lines and carry out regular audits to catch problems earlier.

The strongest sign of change is the move away from relying on physical barriers alone. Through the Water Industry National Environment Programme, South West Water is working with tenant farmers to trial Nofence collars, which use GPS to manage cattle movement without fixed fencing. Fifty collars were fitted to cattle in 2024 without reported problems, and a further 50 were purchased the following year. That trial could reshape how woodland protection is done on mixed-use land. The data from the collars is being analysed to show where cattle prefer to graze and when they are most active. Instead of fencing off large areas, managers can use that evidence to protect the places that are most at risk, creating smaller enclosures around young trees and other sensitive ground while allowing cattle to keep moving across the wider site.

Livestock, though, are only one part of the pressure on Burrator's trees. South West Lakes Trust works with Artemis Land Management Services to survey deer and grey squirrels, maintain a regular on-site presence and, where needed, add fencing or carry out selective culling. The aim is straightforward: reduce browsing and bark stripping before losses spread through the woodland. Grey squirrel management is still being developed with Artemis, British Red Squirrel and other local conservation groups. That work matters because bark stripping does more than scar trunks. It lowers the value of commercial stock and weakens the long-term condition of the woodland. The partnership also has a practical benefit beyond species control, helping train people in forestry skills that the Trust wants to build for future woodland work.

Some of the most interesting measures are also some of the simplest. The Trust plans to trial sheep's fleece mulch mats around the base of individual trees to deter deer and smaller mammals such as voles. Drawing on Nicola's experience from sheep farming, the idea builds on a basic observation: raw fleece around a young tree can help make it less attractive to problem browsers. For use beyond the farm, though, fleece and other animal by-products must be treated and licensed. Managers have also noticed that animal behaviour shifts with day-to-day use of the site. Areas with more footfall tend to keep deer away, while sheep grazing in nearby fields appears to reduce damage to trees in surrounding woodland. It is a useful reminder that practical conservation often starts with careful observation rather than expensive intervention.

Then there are the beavers. At other South West Lakes Trust sites, Eurasian beavers have proved to be unexpectedly helpful partners in woodland management. By browsing willow, they are reducing the need for costly thinning work, and their effect on vegetation around reservoirs is also improving conditions for recreation such as angling by stopping overgrowth from becoming too dense. That does not mean beavers are problem-free in every setting, but the Trust's experience so far is notably positive. In this case, a native species is helping with day-to-day habitat management rather than adding to the burden. For a sector that often has to balance tight budgets with biodiversity goals, that is a result worth paying attention to.

What stands out at Burrator is not one single fix, but a management approach that keeps testing, measuring and adjusting. Self-closing gates, volunteer patrols, GPS collars, targeted fencing, species control and fleece mats all have different roles, and each one is being judged against real costs and real outcomes on the ground. That makes this Devon case study useful well beyond one forest. For estates dealing with the same mix of public access, grazing rights and wildlife pressure, Burrator offers a credible route forward: start with evidence, use lighter-touch tools where possible and invest in the rural skills that keep woodland protection working for the long term.