In a gov.uk case study on environmental land management, Burrator Forest is presented as a practical example of how woodland protection, public access and common grazing rights can pull in different directions. The 353-hectare site sits beside Burrator Reservoir on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in Devon and contains mixed woodland habitats supporting both native and non-native species. The woodland is owned by South West Water and managed by South West Lakes Trust, which oversees more than 50 sites across south-west England. At Burrator, the management challenge is shaped by the fact that commoners retain rights to graze animals on the moor and there is no continuous fence line separating that land from the Trust's woodland area.
According to South West Lakes Trust, livestock from the common and nearby farms enter the forest when gates are left open or fencing is damaged. Although accessible gates and stiles are in place, the case study notes that people do not always use the formal crossing points, which can lead to fencing being cut or vandalised. The effect is both ecological and financial. Unprotected young trees are exposed to browsing and trampling, and the Trust reported around £5,500 of conifer losses over an 18-month period spanning 2024 and 2025. Staff said the affected trees had been planted without guards because guards are used only where there is a clear need, and recovering ponies from dense vegetation inside the fence line can be time-consuming.
The immediate response has centred on basic site controls rather than a full redesign of access arrangements. South West Lakes Trust has started fitting self-closing mechanisms to existing gates and intends to use the same approach on future installations. Volunteers now patrol fence lines and carry out regular audits so that breaches can be identified quickly. That matters because fencing is already a major operating cost across the wider estate. The case study states that annual fencing maintenance runs to hundreds of thousands of pounds. For land managers dealing with open-access pressure, the lesson is straightforward: relatively small adjustments to gates, inspections and repair routines can prevent repeat damage and reduce the need for heavier interventions later.
A larger trial is being taken forward through the Water Industry National Environment Programme. Working with tenant farmers, South West Water is testing Nofence collars, a virtual fencing system that uses GPS-enabled collars to guide cattle movements without relying solely on physical barriers. Fifty collars were fitted in 2024 without reported problems, after which a further 50 were bought the following year. The Trust is analysing the data to identify preferred grazing areas and daily movement patterns. That evidence is expected to support a more targeted protection model, with small enclosures placed around trees and other sensitive features. In policy terms, this shifts effort from fencing cattle out of large areas to fencing vulnerable assets in, while allowing grazing to continue across most of the site.
Burrator's management plan also extends beyond cattle. South West Lakes Trust works with Artemis Land Management Services on deer and grey squirrel surveys, as well as control measures intended to limit browsing and bark damage. Artemis maintains a regular presence on the ground, has installed extra fencing and undertakes selective culling where this is judged necessary. Grey squirrel management remains in development with Artemis, British Red Squirrel and local conservation organisations. The stated aim is to reduce bark stripping, which lowers the commercial value of standing timber. The partnership model also has a workforce purpose: the Trust sees these arrangements as a route into rural skills training so that practical forestry knowledge can be retained as its woodland programme expands.
The Trust is also trialling sheep's fleece mulch mats around individual trees as a deterrent for deer and smaller mammals such as voles. The case study says this approach draws on farm experience showing that raw fleece placed at the base of young trees can offer a degree of protection. Outside the farm setting, however, fleece and other animal by-products must be treated and licensed before use. Observations from the site suggest that animal behaviour is affected by wider land use as much as by formal control measures. Areas with higher visitor footfall appear to attract fewer deer, while sheep grazing in nearby fields has helped limit browsing pressure in adjoining woodland. For practitioners, the point is that low-cost materials and routine observation can complement funded interventions, provided they stay within regulatory requirements.
The case study draws a clear distinction between problem species and species that are proving useful. At other South West Lakes Trust sites, Eurasian beavers are reported to be reducing willow growth through browsing, cutting back the need for thinning work and helping keep reservoir margins open for angling activity. The Trust said the effect on woodland management has so far been positive rather than disruptive. Taken together, the Burrator measures show how an environmental programme can be translated into day-to-day management: routine gate control, targeted fencing, GPS collars, species control, by-product trials and partnership working. For policy readers, the value lies less in any single tool than in the operating model itself, which combines local evidence, access considerations, grazing rights and cost control in one management plan.