Practical techniques for surveying squirrels are the subject of a new Practice Note published by the Forestry Commission.

Survey methods can be used to establish the presence of squirrels in a particular area, and to detect significant changes in the distribution or abundance of populations and species over time. The data gathered can also be used to monitor how threatened populations of red squirrels are responding to conservation management or environmental change, and to assess the efficacy of grey squirrel control measures.

The Practice Note describes how to plan a survey, and provides guidance on which methods to use. It describes five indirect survey techniques, and gives advice on their suitability for different types of habitat at different times of year.

The Note was written by John Gurnell, Peter Lurz, Robbie McDonald and Harry Pepper, and can be downloaded from the "What's New" page of the Forestry Commission website at www.forestry.gov.uk/publications. Free paper copies can be ordered from Forestry Commission Publications, telephone 0844 991 6500 or email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Meanwhile, Pioneering new research which could ensure the long term survival of red squirrels in the UK is set to start today at one of the animal’s traditional strongholds at Formby, a site managed by the National Trust.

A recent outbreak of squirrelpox virus at Formby in Lancashire means that researchers will be able to study the dynamics of the disease as it continues to affect the red squirrels there and elsewhere along the Sefton coast.

Numbers of red squirrels have fallen by 90% in some parts of the area since a major outbreak of squirrelpox virus began in November 2007. 

Anecdotal evidence suggests that numbers of red squirrels have stabilised and further monitoring work will be carried out in the pine woodland during the autumn to establish current red squirrel densities and the status of the survivors.

Work on this four-year project will be co-ordinated by a PhD student based at the University of Liverpool under the supervision of Dr Julian Chantrey and Professor Mike Begon. 

Andrew Brockbank, National Trust Property Manager at Formby, says: "Red squirrels would feature on many people’s list of favourite British wildlife and we hope that this exciting new project may help secure their future. The recent major outbreak of squirrelpox presents a unique window of opportunity for research and the tragic loss of red squirrels at Formby could ultimately provide insights which help red squirrel conservation in the future."

By careful monitoring and repeated visits to the squirrels in and around Formby, this research will focus on exactly how the red squirrels become infected by the virus, and whether any of them have survived or shows signs of immunity to the disease. 

The project will also examine how fast the infection progresses and what might halt its spread. This will enable conservationists to be better equipped to understand how an outbreak of squirrelpox virus develops and what can be done to break the links that allow it to spread among the red squirrels.

Funding for the four year studentship is being provided by the Natural Environment Research Council. Further financial support has come through money raised from virtual gifts in the 2007 National Trust Christmas catalogue specifically for red squirrel conservation at Formby. 

Professor Mike Begon from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Liverpool says: "Formby is on the front line in the battle for survival between red and grey squirrels. We are hopeful that this new research will help us understand the dynamics of squirrelpox virus and how that knowledge can be used to ensure the long term survival of red squirrels across the UK."