Challenge

Grey squirrels pose a major threat to young woodland and agroforestry in Britain and Ireland, causing bark stripping that leads to decreased tree growth, increased susceptibility to fungal infections, and diminished timber quality.

This is estimated to cost England and Wales at least £37 million a year in lost and replacement trees, loss of carbon sequestration and impacts on timber (UK Squirrel Accord).

Traditional squirrel control methods are costly and labour-intensive, requiring daily trap inspections that result in high ongoing staffing costs.

Innovation

Norbury Park Estate, located in Staffordshire, has developed a modified version of the Kania 2000™ spring trap, incorporating a trap door to release deceased squirrels (contributing safe food for woodland scavengers) and a food hopper that provides bait for up to two weeks. This design allows for trap inspections to be reduced from daily to weekly or fortnightly, cutting control costs by over 70%.

Rigorous testing and development over four years has demonstrated that the Norbury trap is as effective as traditional traps at less than 30% of the annual running costs.

Support from Innovate UK Business Connect

The Innovate UK Business Connect AgriFood team provided extensive support to Alex Malkin, Head Forester at Norbury Park, during their full-stage application process for a Research Starter grant, part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme.

Support included:

• strategic guidance to help the organisation align with funding eligibility and partnership requirements
• advisory support to clarify cost classifications and timing considerations relevant to their proposal
• structured feedback to help improve the clarity and impact of their application, enabling the team to strengthen their submission and better meet competition criteria

This tailored support helped Norbury Park Estate refine their application and align it with the expectations of Defra and Innovate UK, ultimately securing the £50,000 grant.

Impact

The Norbury trap has transformed squirrel control at Norbury Park, reducing annual costs by over £13,000 and making control measures more accessible for both large estates and remote small woodlands.

The innovation has led to the formation of a new company, Guarantree, to commercialise the trap, which is now marketed under the Guarantree trademark. The trap has received a provisional UK Patent and US Patent and is now available to purchase.

Norbury Park Estate’s innovation exemplifies how targeted support and funding can lead to impactful solutions. The Norbury trap offers a cost-effective, efficient, and scalable method for grey squirrel control, with potential benefits for forestry and agroforestry operations across the UK.

The company’s latest paper on the cost saving benefits of the Norbury Trap was published in the Royal Forestry Society Journal 2025 – Read the paper.