Use tree tubes/small fences/cages to protect individual trees

Overall effectiveness category No evidence found (no assessment)
Number of studies: 0
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness
not assessed
Certainty
not assessed
Harms
not assessed

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

A range of mammals, including rodents and ungulates, can cause substantial damage to trees, especially young trees, through browsing activities on foliage and by stripping bark from trees. As well as damage to natural habitats, this can cause financial losses to the forestry industry (Huitu et al. 2009). In an attempt to reduce such conflict, trees may be protected from attack using a range of barriers to prevent mammals from accessing them. If successful, this could reduce incentives for carrying out lethal control on these mammals.

Huitu O., Kiljunen N., Korpimäki E., Koskela E., Mappes T., Pietiäinen H., Pöysä H. & Henttonen H. (2009) Density-dependent vole damage in silviculture and associated economic losses at a nationwide scale. Forest Ecology and Management, 258, 1219–1224.

Key messages

We found no studies that evaluated the effects of using tree tubes, small fences or cages to protect individual trees from mammals.

‘We found no studies’ means that we have not yet found any studies that have directly evaluated this intervention during our systematic journal and report searches. Therefore, we have no evidence to indicate whether or not the intervention has any desirable or harmful effects.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Please cite as:

Littlewood, N.A., Rocha, R., Smith, R.K., Martin, P.A., Lockhart, S.L., Schoonover, R.F., Wilman, E., Bladon, A.J., Sainsbury, K.A., Pimm S. and Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Terrestrial Mammal Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions for terrestrial mammals excluding bats and primates. Synopses of Conservation Evidence Series. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Terrestrial Mammal Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Use tree tubes/small fences/cages to protect individual trees Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link
Control firewood collection in remnant native forest and woodland Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link
Use thinning of forest instead of clearcutting Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	1	Synopsis Link