Pine martens are a protected species (under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Section 9 and Schedules 5 & 6). This makes it a legal offence to intentionally or recklessly kill, injure, take a pine marten or destroy, disturb or obstruct any resting place used by a pine marten. This may have implications for some land management practises e.g. the types of pest control conducted on your land, squirrel control methods used or the timing of forestry operations.

Supporting pine martens

• How to detect signs of pine martens in your woodland.
• How to construct, install and monitor pine marten den boxes. Careful placement and maintenance of den boxes is important to maximise their potential – please contact your local field officer for more guidance if you are interested in installing a den box in your woods.
• Managing forest and woodlands for pine martens. Learn how to conduct pre-operational checks and useful habitat enhancements. 

• Appropriate rodent/pest control in a pine marten landscape and guidance on responsible use of rodenticides to reduce their impact on wildlife.
• The UK Forestry standard “Controlling grey squirrels in forests and woodlands in the UK” outlines appropriate grey squirrel control methods in pine marten landscapes.
• Devon Wildlife Trust grey squirrel and pine martens webinar.

Mitigation of predation

• A useful overview of predator proofing for poultry and game pens with pine martens in mind.
• More specific guidance about predator proofing poultry enclosures.
• Our mitigation protocol flowchart outlines the importance of contacting us at your earliest point of concern so that we can work through any concerns together.