HOMES FOR PINE MARTENS!

The pine marten is a cat-sized carnivore in the weasel family, native to the UK and primarily adapted to a tree-living lifestyle. It was driven to near-extinction in the UK through persecution over the past 200 years, but is now starting to recover, especially in Scotland. Dumfries and Galloway is home to a slowly expanding pine marten population and the Dumfries and Galloway Pine Marten Group (DGPMG) are working to raise awareness of the return of this native predator and to assist the species establishment and expansion in our region. Pine martens need dens for resting, over wintering and breeding but there is a scarcity of their preferred natural tree cavities in the predominant conifer plantations and young forests of our region. Pine marten den boxes of tried and tested design can help alleviate this ecological constraint and the DGPMG are committed to installing and monitoring den boxes across Dumfries and Galloway. Monitoring of box use and attendance at feeding hoppers will allow us to measure subsequent changes in pine marten distribution and activity and this information will help land managers prioritise their conservation efforts. Recent research in Scotland and elsewhere has demonstrated that recovering pine marten populations suppress grey squirrels and importantly, are associated with healthy red squirrel populations, so improving the status of the pine marten should also help red squirrels to thrive. Please help us to provide homes for pine martens!