Once the saplings are in their holes, each one has to have a guard put round them to protect the young trees from wildlife nibbling at them but also from harsh weather conditions, and a stake which holds the guard in place. The stakes and guards are all put in the same way round so that a glance the team can spot when doing checks if anything is a miss and requires attention.
After the planting has taken place, we will keep checking on the trees every few months to see how they are getting on with growing. Then if any of the trees don’t take, die or get destroyed by animals, we pop a coloured marker tape around the top of the tree guard so that next time we are doing planting in other nearby areas we can replant as necessary without having to do too much searching.
It will take up to 40 years for the trees to establish and bear acorns, but once they do it will provide much needed food for hungry animals and a flourishing woodland for years to come.