Guidance

Deer and mammal risk assessment for woodland creation proposals (England)

Published 8 December 2023

Applies to England

• Publication for Northern Ireland
• Publication for Scotland
• Publication for Wales

Introduction

This document:

• describes the minimum standards of deer and mammal risk assessment for woodland creation proposals in England
• explains how Woodland Creation Proposers (WCPs) secure approval for survey work and obtain quotes for the work under the Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG)
• provides information on survey timing and validity
• provides specifications for survey and assessment by consultants/surveyors

Evidence and process of development for this brief can be found in the Deer Habitat Impact Activity Survey Guide.

Part 1: Essential information for woodland creation proposers and surveyors

Definitions

Woodland Creation Proposer (WCP): the person preparing a woodland creation proposal for approval by the Forestry Commission. This may be a landowner or their agent.

Surveyor: the person carrying out the required surveys. The terms ‘consultant’ or ‘contractor’ may also be used.

About surveys and assessments

Specialist surveys are often needed in relation to Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG) applications, but may also be required for other types of woodland application.

The survey results will be used to help decide whether a site is suitable for woodland creation and should be used by the WCP to help complete a woodland creation design plan.

Any significant variation from the survey specification (for example, different methods, fewer survey visits, or deviation from recommended survey dates by more than 2 days) must be agreed in advance with the relevant Forestry Commission Deer Officer. The survey report must meet the relevant specification(s). If it does not, it will not be accepted as evidence about your site. 

The specifications will be updated in response to changes in Forestry Commission or industry survey standards or as new information becomes available. Please make sure you use the most up-to-date version.

How to get approval for survey work

When a proposal for woodland creation is received under WCPG, Forestry Commission will tell the WCP if surveys are needed and will usually provide a map of the area the surveys must cover. In some exceptional cases this might include a buffer area, which will be determined on a case-by-case basis. 

At least 3 detailed quotes for each survey must be obtained from suitable surveyors and sent to the Forestry Commission for decision. Methods and fees must be approved in writing by the Forestry Commission before survey commences.

Quotes/tenders will be assessed on:

• the methodology proposed
• compatibility with the specifications
• evidence of competence
• cost

The Forestry Commission offers no guarantee that the lowest price or any tender will be accepted. The Forestry Commission will seek to secure value for money but also needs to be satisfied that the proposer/surveyor has submitted their quote in the required format and has the ability to undertake the work. The Forestry Commission is not responsible for costs incurred during the preparation of fee proposals.

Once a survey quote has been approved by FC, work cannot be subcontracted to another individual or organisation without prior approval from FC. Any subcontractors must meet the surveyor specification.

See section ‘Seasonal Constraints and lead-in time’ for more information on survey timings.

Choosing surveyors

Surveyors will ideally have experience of monitoring deer impacts, understand deer impacts on woodland plants or have undertaken training in these areas.

Quotes for the work

Using the templates in the annexes, each contractor must prepare a quote that details:

• how the survey specification will be fulfilled – for example, a method statement demonstrating how the work will be undertaken, any risks to delivery and measures to address risks identified
• staff involved in undertaking the survey and reporting
• all contributors’ professional expertise and track record in comparable projects
• all contributors’ professional indemnity, public liability and employer’s liability insurance
• report review/quality control/assurance measures to be used by the contractor
• a proposed timeline for the survey including project set-up, desk study, fieldwork, assessment of impact and reporting stages

Potential contractors must:

• itemise costs using the standard pricing schedule (Annex 6)
• include day rates for all experts involved (Annex 7)
• propose fixed costs
• indicate whether VAT will be added to the total cost
• identify any contingency items for unknowns or additional work deemed appropriate
• consider all relevant legislation, regulations, and best practice, including the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Each quote should comprise a method statement and fixed-price fee proposal for the survey. Quotes that do not include the pricing schedule will not be considered.

Any environmental information already gathered about the site must be shared with prospective contractors, including any previous deer assessments undertaken whether related to the current proposal or not.

Access to land not in applicant’s ownership

The WCP must obtain permission to access land within the survey area. 

1. You will need to identify all the owners of land where survey work is required, explain your proposals and obtain permission from them, or provide their details to the contractor so they can do so. (Note: the contractor is likely to charge extra if they have to obtain access permissions).
2. In the event of access permission refusal, evidence of reasonable effort to obtain permission must be supplied. In such cases a decision on the likely impact of the inaccessible land will be made by FC, in consultation with Natural England (NE).
3. If the survey area is affected by refusal of access permission, the Forestry Commission must be informed as soon as possible.
4. Where access permission has not been obtained, surveys carried out from roads, footpaths or the like will not be accepted.
5. It may also be necessary to speak to neighbouring landowners to gain knowledge of local deer populations.

Management of land subject to survey

The Deer Impact and Activity survey gives an index score of both deer activity and deer impact. This means the score may not change even if deer are not seen during the survey this may not affect the score. Surveys may not be effective if deer had been excluded from the site or if livestock had been historically grazed across the area.

The survey methodology was designed for woodland. If there are existing woodlands adjacent to the proposed planting site, these should be surveyed if possible because they can give a good indication of deer activity and impacts. Features such as hedgerows can show deer impacts if livestock are absent so should be surveyed.

Seasonal constraints and lead-in time for deer and mammal risk assessment

Surveys can be carried out at any time of year, but spring is preferred. In the spring, signs such as slots and paths are more evident and signs of feeding on new growth as well as on that from the previous year should be apparent. In summer/autumn before leaf-fall there may be abundant vegetation, and the ground may be hard after a dry summer, making slots and paths less visible.

If individual plant species or plants at specific stages of growth will form an important part of the impact data, it may be necessary to carry out a survey early in the year then complete it later to include these.

Annual monitoring surveys should be ideally undertaken at the same point each year (as vegetation emerges) rather than on calendar dates. This will provide the most consistency between surveys.

Reporting requirements

Following the survey fieldwork, the contractor must prepare a report to the specified requirements, detailed in Part 2.

Survey validity

The survey can enable detection of change in impacts over time, this is usually evident after 3 years if effective deer control/management is taking place. As a result, a survey would remain valid in most instances for at least 2 years.

Assessment of survey results

Once an acceptable survey report has been received (see Part 2 General Requirements/ Reporting), the Forestry Commission Deer Officer will assess the results in discussion with the relevant Woodland Officer (WO)/Woodland Creation Officer (WCO). Discussion with other bodies (for example, Natural England, National Park Authorities) may also be necessary but the decision rests with Forestry Commission as Regulator and/or grant giver. 

Biosecurity

We expect all surveyors to follow established biosecurity protocols. For example, thoroughly cleaning all equipment and footwear between site visits to reduce risk of the spread of disease or invasive non-native species.

Part 2: Survey specifications

General requirements

The following sections give ‘general requirements’ applicable to any survey and must be read alongside the additional requirements in the survey specifications that follow. Each survey specification lists additional skills and experience required by surveyors.

Work cannot be subcontracted to another individual or organisation without prior approval from FC. All subcontractors must meet the surveyor specification. 

Specifications will be updated in response to changes in standard survey protocols/ methods. You must use the most up-to-date version .

Field work

This will require undertaking deer impact and activity surveys.

Reporting

The applicant/contractor must share the draft report in Word format with the Forestry Commission for comments and amendments. The Forestry Commission will review the report and provide feedback if any sections need amending or additional information to meet the specified requirements. The contractor must make any necessary revisions to the document and resubmit. No additional costs for amendments will be paid unless agreed in advance with the Forestry Commission. 

The Forestry Commission will confirm when the report meets the standard and is complete. The evaluation/assessment required will be given in the survey specifications that follow.

A summary of general reporting and mapping requirements is including below.  In addition, there are specific reporting/mapping requirements, which are given in the relevant survey specifications. Please note all maps must be provided on a large scale Ordinance Survey (OS) base and air photo. The cost of these can be included in your quote.

General reporting and mapping requirements

See individual survey specifications for additional requirements.

Format:

• draft to be provided in MS Word to allow comment/amendments

Reference:

• site name
• central grid reference
• any grant reference number (for example, WCPG xx xx_xx)

Background and summary information:

• objectives of survey
• site description including adjacent land use
• executive summary
• tabular summary of dates and times of visits, surveyor name(s), weather (wind, cloud cover, precipitation, visibility, temperature) and any other survey conditions
• any areas currently or recently in agri-environment schemes and purpose for which they are being managed
• pre-existing, developing or projected impacts such as recently planted woodland, new construction or other changing land use

Constraints:

• any constraints or limitations to the survey (for example, access, weather, groundworks), including the reasons for the constraint and its impact on the survey
• any deviation from standard survey method or agreed area

Methods:

• AA detailed methodology that can be easily replicated
• timing and duration of surveys
• surveyor roles and experience
• any industry standard guidance followed

Results:

• results of field work

Evaluation/assessment/conclusions:

• assessment of quality of features of interest (for example, priority habitat)
• where required, brief assessment of likely impact of woodland creation (as indicated in survey specifications) with reference to type of woodland intended
• clear explanation and justification from evidence collected/presented

Maps/plans:

• provided on a large-scale OS base and air photo
• included in reports and provided as geographic information system (GIS) shapefiles
• included in reports at a large enough scale to be legible without having to refer to shapefiles (this may necessitate subdividing maps for clarity)
• cross-referenced to text
• site and buffer (where applicable)
• habitats, topography and land use
• any areas not visible or not accessed
• survey sampling locations
• GIS shapefiles to be provided for all maps/plans

Photographs:

• cross-referenced to text
• key features
• air photos to support mapped information

Supporting information/ additional requirements:

• where a buffer is included, report separately on woodland creation site data and any buffer data and make clear whether statements refer to planting site, buffer or both
• avoid terms like ‘small number’, ‘close proximity’, ‘many’ – be specific
• raw survey data in separate MS Excel format detailing date, name of recorder, species, OS Grid reference and any other information
• any additional observations
• opportunities to enhance habitat connectivity for example, via Local Nature Recovery Strategies
• information from previous or adjacent surveys, such as drone surveys

Ownership (copyright and intellectual property)

The appointed contractor (and their subcontractors) will agree to:

• grant to the Forestry Commission an irrevocable, perpetual and royalty-free licence to use, copy, keep and disseminate the outputs as they see fit and to grant sub-licences of the same kind
• obtain and maintain in force all authorisations of any kind required for you to use, copy, keep and disseminate the outputs and to grant such licence to FC
• contract to the effect that any creation by you or on your behalf of material which forms outputs is undertaken on terms that either the copyright in the material is assigned to you or that the copyright owner may not commercially exploit it
• grant licences in respect of the outputs under the Creative Commons model licence ‘Attribution Non-Commercial’ but not on other terms without our prior written consent
• not otherwise exploit the outputs commercially without prior written consent from the Forestry Commission

The Forestry Commission may share the data or report with Natural England or other relevant bodies in line with agreed joint operational guidance.

The data and report may be used by Defra and related bodies (for example, Forestry Commission and Natural England) to add to or inform environmental data sets and modelling.

Deer and mammal risk assessment specification

This specification is additional to the general requirements. It is specific to deer assessments and should be read in conjunction with the general guidance above and with the deer impact and activity surveys.

Before you start

In the field

Forestry Commission Deer Officers will assess the level of survey to be undertaken and whether a Deer Impact and Activity Survey is appropriate to identify level of deer risk. In some cases this may require multiple survey transects.

The Deer and Mammal Risk and Mitigation Report (below) will form the basis of the survey. It will require collation of data from the site and, in some cases, from the surrounding landscape – including from neighbouring landowners, organisations, biodiversity records or other sources.

Notes on survey method:

Condition categories

Reporting

In addition to the general reporting requirements (see information above), the field survey results must be provided in GIS shapefile format, including the attributes in the Excel template.

You should also include:

• total number of points surveyed
• the model of GPS device and estimated accuracy during the survey

Maps of areas surveyed must be produced and include appropriate copyright for the base maps used.