Boar research project

[tracy]

Anyone near Forest of Dean able to help? FERA (food and environment research) are tracking the movement of boar and doing research on their impact on the land.

We have had this done in our woodland and found all the people we met very knowledgeable and respectful of the land and privacy. All they need to do is to put some cameras up for a short time.

Here is the request:

The range expansion survey aims to identify ways of accessing boar movement and or presents, it’s part of large project which has been running for seven years (four years with free living boar).

We would like to find woodland which must be 2.6 km from the main body of the Forest of Dean preferable sweet chestnut, Oak mature woodland and safe enough to set remote cameras without gaining unwanted interest !!!

We plan to start setting out the bait points week commencing 22nd November and collect them in week commencing 6th December.

We will be working to Food & Environment Research Agency health and safety regs and our equipment will be our responsibility should it go walk about!!

Please contact

[email protected]

if you can help, thanks

Tracy

[tracy]

If you can help, please phone Julia as she is off line for a few days working in woods!

mobile number 07771 972542

[davetb]

Hi,

Our woodland is in Herefordshire, about 4 miles North of Monmouth, with an acre of just Sweet Chestnut and lots of boundary Oaks.

I was a bit confused about the 'must be 2.6km from the main body of the Forest of Dean', as this seemed very specific.

I contacted Julia to offer our woodland, if suitable.

I've been told today that they would like to use our woodland for their study, and will put some cameras in on Monday or Tuesday.

They don't expect any boar ( and we've never seen any signs of them ), but will let me know 'how many squirrels they spot', but you never know.

We feel it's useful to help with environmental / biodiversity research.

We've had a movement sensitive camera in the woods for months and spent loads on batteries to be depressed by the huge number of Fallow Deer eating our trees and a few foxes and squirrels. There are several badger sets and we have never got a badger on film. We still don't know if there are any in our wood.

Anyway, we'll keep you posted.

Dave

[davetb]

Hi,

The 'bait station' and cameras were put in yesterday and I'll find out in a couple of weeks what was caught on film.

Dave

[davetb]

Hi,

The 'bait station' and cameras were put in yesterday and I'll find out in a couple of weeks what was caught on film.

Dave

Apologies. I'd forgotten all about this post.
It's been over 3 years.
FERA came back last year and repeated the bait and Cameras.

They found no boar on either occasion.
There was a 'magnificent' large Fallow buck, badgers, foxes, and the usual squirrels, pheasants etc.
These people obviously don't understand that woodland qwners develop 'antibodies' to deer.
I have learned to accept the presence of the deer but I still don't like the damage they do.
We have seen lots of badgers on our own cameras, since I last posted.