Project Background
Two previously open and exposed areas at Eastcourt in Wiltshire were commissioned for new woodland creation. The planting was managed by an experienced Forest Management consultant with a strong track record in large-scale tree establishment. The aim was to create productive native woodland across both sites, converting agricultural ground that had limited ecological and commercial value in its existing state into an asset that would mature over the coming decades.
The Challenge
Both sites were fully exposed at the point of planting — no canopy cover, limited wind shelter, and the typical ground conditions of previously grazed or managed farmland. At a combined scale of over 20,000 trees, any protection solution needed to be not only effective but logistically practical: shelters that arrive well packaged, install quickly, and reliably survive wind events without requiring constant re-staking visits. A section of the planting was also earmarked for the Vigilis-Bio UK-wide monitoring programme, requiring a portion of biodegradable shelters to be installed and tagged alongside the main population.
The Vigilis Solution
20,000 × 1.2m Vigilis Tree Shelters were installed across both Eastcourt sites, each paired with softwood stakes to provide stable anchorage in the open ground conditions. Vigilis Tree Shelters are supplied nested in fives, which significantly reduces the number of trips needed to supply a large-scale site and speeds up the planting day — a practical advantage when covering two separate areas. A dedicated section of 200 × 1.2m Vigilis-Bio Tree Shelters was also installed as part of the national trial, positioned on one of the sites to allow the biodegradable shelters to be monitored in an exposed new woodland establishment context.
Outcome
Early observations noted good tree growth inside the Vigilis-Bio shelters, which the site’s consultant identified as a positive early indicator ahead of the formal monitoring visits. Across both sites, the main planting is establishing as intended, with the new woodland beginning to take form on what were previously featureless open fields. The Wiltshire sites represent one of the larger standard + Bio combined installations in the trial network, and will provide statistically meaningful data on shelter performance at scale as the programme matures.
- Scale
- 20,000 × 1.2m Vigilis Tree Shelters; 200 × 1.2m Vigilis-Bio Tree Shelters
- Product
- Vigilis Tree Shelters & Vigilis-Bio Tree Shelters
- Location
- Eastcourt, Wiltshire
- Project type
- New woodland creation
