One-third of England's woodlands now estimated to be damaged by deer, with urgent action needed to protect trees and wildlife

•     Grants, expert advice and streamlined licencing to help land managers act faster

•     Strong backing for action to improve tree survival, boost timber production and protect species like dormice and nightingales

Landowners, foresters and farmers across England will benefit from new measures to reduce the damaging impacts of deer on woodlands, under a new 10-year government plan announced yesterday (Friday 20 February).

An estimated one-third of England's woodlands are now affected by deer damage, with excessive browsing and trampling preventing young trees from establishing, degrading habitats, and damaging crops. Without urgent action, this damage risks undermining woodland creation, nature recovery and domestic timber production.

Native deer are an iconic feature of the English countryside and play a role in maintaining healthy, wildlife-rich woodlands. However, growing deer impacts - including from non-native invasive species - are placing unsustainable pressure on trees, woodland habitats.

Overgrazing reduces the diversity of ground flora and scrub, including flowering plants essential for pollinating insects and fruiting shrubs that support birds and mammals such as dormice. Reducing deer pressure has been identified as a key management activity to support the recovery of nightingale populations, which have declined by more than 90% since the 1960s, due to habitat loss and changes in woodland management. Deer damage also affects wetlands, with recent surveys of the Norfolk Broads showing more than 10% of rare fen habitat has been impacted.

Three of the six deer species present in England are invasive non-native, further intensifying pressure on sensitive environments.

Current management approaches have not kept pace with rising impacts. There is a need to reduce reliance on fencing and tree shelters and increase effective, active deer management at landscape scale.

Nature Minister Mary Creagh said:

"Our trees and native wildlife are under huge strain from deer damage, including from non-native deer species.

“This government is helping landowners and farmers manage deer impacts more effectively so woodlands can flourish and crops are better protected. These new measures will also help restore nature, boost our home grown timber industry and protect the millions of trees we are planting across the country".

The package of measures announced today will give land managers the tools and support they need to act quickly and effectively. This includes:

  *   Dedicated deer officers to provide clearer, more accessible advice and coordination

  *   Grant funding to support effective deer management activity

  *   Streamlined licensing processes to cut red tape and enable faster action

  *   This includes potential changes to night shooting and close season licensing, allowing land managers to better protect crops, timber and habitats where there is a clear need

Forestry Commission Chief Executive Richard Stanford said:

"Deer damage is one of the biggest negative impacts on our trees and woodlands. Action has been long-overdue and these welcome measures will give land managers the tools they need to reduce pressures from excessive deer browsing to protect trees and restore biodiversity in our woodlands.

"This will help trees, and other plants to thrive, enable nature to recover and provide much needed habitat for woodland birds and other wildlife. We can all help in this endeavour by eating wild venison, the most climate-friendly red meat there is."

Supporting the wild venison market

To complement these measures, the government will also support the domestic wild venison market, helping to offset the costs of managing deer impacts by lethal control, including supporting the British Quality Wild Venison Standard, to boost consumer confidence. This includes support for the British Quality Wild Venison Standard to boost consumer confidence and exploring the use of public procurement to increase consumption. Wild venison is a healthy, high‑protein food, rich in essential amino acids and lower in cholesterol and saturated fats than many other red meats.

Research and innovation

The government will also support research to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of managing deer impacts, including the use of drone surveying to identify national priority areas and target action at a landscape scale.

Together, these measures will make it easier for foresters, farmers and land managers to reduce deer damage, allowing woodlands to recover and thrive. This will benefit woodland species like dormice and nightingales and support the government's wider nature recovery goals.

The Deer Impacts Policy Statement follows Defra’s Grey Squirrel Policy Statement, published on 29 January, which set out measures to tackle damage to trees and woodlands caused by invasive grey squirrels and support native red squirrel populations.

Effectively managing the impacts of wild deer and grey squirrels will support the government's ambitious plans to successfully plant millions of new trees and increase woodland cover to at least 16.5% of total land area in England by 2050, including three new national forests.