Volunteers and supporters of the Isle of Wight Red Squirrel Trust gathered, on Tuesday, for a guided walk through Howe’s Wood, the charity’s newly-acquired woodland, to celebrate Red Squirrel Week, which runs until October 12.

The visitors learned how non-native conifers are being cleared to make way for native broadleaf species. The largest clearance to date involved felling a number of Western Red Cedars. Camera traps revealed not even birds or mice visited the heavily shaded area, as no bait food was taken. Although tall, the unmanaged woodland had left the trees with narrow trunks and knotty timber – mostly unsuitable to be turned into planks, although some have been used locally to protect oyster beds in Yarmouth.

The Trust has a 10-year felling licence for the 12-acre wood, with most felling taking place this first year. Native broadleaf trees will be favoured and planted in the cleared areas, although cone-bearing trees, such as Douglas Fir, will be initially left as they provide a rich food source for squirrels. As the wood develops in line with the management plan, other food sources, such as hazel nuts and oaks, will come into their own – hazel does not fruit if there is not enough light.

The group also visited a newly-excavated pond, created to improve habitat diversity and aid drainage in the wood. Founder, Helen Butler, noted that to everyone’s surprise the pond holds water naturally, joking that she now has a giant pond liner for sale. She also praised Island Roads for donating large drainage pipes, which have been used to bridge ditches to facilitate access to some areas; volunteers from the company have also helped open up trails through the dense undergrowth.

The wood is named in honour of Simon Howe, who helped officially open the wood. In 2023, the 67-year-old retired stockbroker rowed solo across the Atlantic in 72 days, raising more than £100,000 for the Trust. Other generous donors have also contributed to the woodland’s purchase and regeneration costs.

Unsurprisingly, given the number of visitors walking through the trails, no red squirrels were spotted on Tuesday, although there were plenty of signs that they are happily inhabiting the wood, including fir cones stripped of seeds with just the core left on the woodland floor.

With sightings of red squirrels across the Island down this year, the Trust hopes the new sanctuary will help protect one of the south’s last strongholds for this endangered native species.