Rewilding

Many rewilding projects combine natural regeneration with targeted native planting to accelerate habitat formation, particularly where seed sources are distant. Where planting is used, shelters are typically essential unless browsing pressure has been eliminated through complete deer exclusion — rare in most projects. Our mesh shelters are popular for rewilding schemes where aesthetics and airflow matter, while our biodegradable tree guards offer a minimal-footprint option that naturally disappears after establishment. Rewilding Britain provides detailed guidance on combining regeneration and planting strategies.

Yes. Our Vigilis-Bio range is manufactured from plant-based biopolymers and fully biodegrades in soil after the establishment period, leaving no plastic on site to collect. This is particularly valuable on remote upland sites, nature reserves and floodplain restoration schemes where removing hardware from difficult terrain is costly and time-consuming. Biodegradable guards also meet grant scheme requirements for minimising plastic use in publicly funded planting programmes across the UK, USA and Europe.

Broadleaf species central to most rewilding planting mixes — including oak, rowan, hazel, hawthorn and crab apple — benefit significantly from shelter protection. Oak in particular grows slowly in its first 3–5 years and is highly palatable to deer; without protection it is frequently browsed back and may never establish. Fast-growing pioneer species such as alder and willow can sometimes outpace browsing pressure on favourable sites. For mixed native planting, our tree guards are available in heights matched to the dominant predation pressure on your site.

Without shelter protection, deer and rabbits selectively browse the most palatable species, reducing structural and species diversity over time. Tree guards protect the full species mix of a planting scheme, enabling the development of the mixed canopy and understorey structure that rewilding projects are designed to achieve. Once trees are established above the browse line, shelters can be removed or left to biodegrade. Contact our team for species-specific shelter recommendations — we regularly supply restoration projects planting 10,000+ trees across multiple habitat types.

Individual guards and perimeter fencing serve complementary roles. Deer exclusion fencing protects the site boundary but rabbits, hares and voles can still penetrate most fences at ground level. Individual tree guards and voleguards provide targeted plant-level protection, ensuring that even on fenced sites your most vulnerable trees survive. For large rewilding schemes, combining perimeter deer fencing with individual guards on slow-establishing species such as oak and hazel is common practice among leading restoration organisations worldwide.