TE5: Supplement for use of individual tree-shelters

This item is part of Capital Grants 2025. You must read the Capital Grants 2025 guidance to understand the rules and how to apply.

If you’re applying for this item as part of a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) application, you must read the CSHT applicant’s guide to understand the rules and how to apply.

How much you’ll be paid

£2.43 per unit.

How this supplement benefits the environment

Using tree shelters protects young, establishing trees from damage by browsing animals.

This item can help you protect, recover and improve biodiversity on your land.

Where you can use this supplement

You can only use this item either:

• as a supplement to the tree planting capital item TE4: Supply and plant tree
• with Catchment Sensitive Farming approval as a supplement to TE4- for example, planting tree shelter belts, or in livestock housing or in free range areas for pig or poultry free ranging areas to improve air quality
• to protect trees planted using AF1: Plant an agroforestry woodland tree and AF2 Plant an agroforestry fruit tree as part of an in-field agroforestry system

In a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier agreement alongside these capital items:

• FG1 - Fencing
• FG2 - Sheep netting
• FG3 - Permanent electric fencing
• FG7 - Anti-predator combination fencing
• FG8 - Anti-predator temporary electric fencing
• FG9 - Deer fencing

In a Woodland Tree Health Grant with FG1 - Fencing or FG9:Deer fencing

Catchment Sensitive Farming provides advice where there’s water quality, air quality or flood risk issues linked to farming.

What you must do to use this supplement

You must:

• put up a tree shelter immediately after the tree is planted
• make sure each shelter is flush with the ground to keep out small animals such as mice and voles
• secure each shelter with 25 millimetre (mm)-by-25mm wooden stakes, placed in an upright position
• check shelters regularly, maintaining them until the tree or shrub is established
• design and support the shelters so they last for at least 5 years
• dispose or recycle shelters and stakes according to relevant waste disposal regulations

The shelter protects trees from grazing animals and the height of the animal determines which shelter to use. For example, for:

• roe, muntjac or Chinese water deer use 1.2 metres (m) shelters
• fallow, red or sika deer use 1.8m shelters
• hares and rabbits use 1.2m tree shelter or smaller if available

Evidence you must keep

You must keep and provide on request:

• any consents or permissions connected with the work
• receipted invoices, or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable

Read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the Agreement holder’s guide: Capital Grants, Higher Tier capital grants and Protection and Infrastructure grants for more information.

If you’re applying for this item as part of a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) application, read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the CSHT agreement holder’s guide.