Deer Management in Community Woodlands

Past Event - see recording below

Deer management is an important consideration for many community woodland groups – whether to protect young trees, encourage natural regeneration, or balance woodland biodiversity. But approaches vary depending on woodland scale, location, and objectives.

This webinar brought together three practitioners to share their experiences and insights:

  • Jenny Greaves (Forester, South Scotland) – Do you need to do deer management? Monitoring methodologies, assessing impacts, and an overview of grants and associated costs.

  • Rob Coope (Deer Manager, HPCLT) – Perspectives from a smaller woodland: assessing deer impacts, what it means to have no deer, and the opportunities and challenges of small-scale venison production.

  • Jim Brown (Deer Manager, Knoydart Foundation) – Lessons from large-scale management: funding and sustaining a deer management team, open range deer management, and the role of stalking guests in generating income.

The session offered practical examples from different contexts to help community woodland groups consider whether, and how, deer management could form part of their woodland plans.

Webinar notes + links:

https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/managing-wildlife/deer-scotland/deer-management-policy-guidance-and-best-practice 

Just to flag the Forestry Co-operation Grant (FoCo) under the FGS – might be really useful here: 
👉 https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-schemes/forestry-grant-scheme/forestry-co-operation/ 

It can fund the coordination and facilitation work between multiple landowners or community groups – things like mapping, meetings, and developing joint deer-management approaches (up to around 40 funded days). 

There are also other FGS options that support deer-management planning and reducing impacts once collaboration is in place – but FoCo feels like a great starting point to get people working together. 

And don’t forget your local Deer Management Groups (DMGs) – they’re a good first port of call for sharing plans and linking up efforts across neighbouring landholdings. 

https://www.nature.scot/innovative-community-deer-stalking-pilot-underway-creag-meagaidh