Project: Roadside installation of bird and bat boxes
Client: A-one Integrated
Value: £10,000+

Nearly 100 bird and bat boxes were erected by UPM Tilhill staff on trees along the length of the A1 and within the Highways Agency Contract Area 14. Various sites were selected by A-one ecologists, the Highways Agency, and UPM Tilhill. Selected trees were on Highways Agency land and therefore adjacent to the road, mature, and mostly located in groups, allowing several boxes to be attached in close proximity and orientated to maximise bird usage.

Type of box – three types of boxes were used, all manufactured from a mix of sawdust and cement know as woodcrete. They were designed to provide a suitable habitat for the creature concerned, and it was possible to specify a particular colour in order to best blend in with the surroundings.

Attachment method – working with a local mountaineering supplies company, UPM Tilhill devised a bespoke attachment method which involved the use of two ‘soft’ strops with buckle, which were attached to the boxes top and bottom and wrapped around the main tree trunk or appropriate limb. This method was used in order to avoid having to nail the box onto the tree thereby damaging its living tissue, and allows the strop to be slackened as the tree grows.

Attaching in situ - working along the A1 and A66, the A-one Integrated ecologist and UPM Tilhill staff attached anything from one to five boxes to each of the selected trees. In some instances it was necessary for them UPM Tilhill operative/climber to remove branches – always with minimal impact on the tree. The kestrel boxes presented the greatest difficulty as they weigh over 10kg. Each of these boxes had to be hauled into the tree by lifting rope. The project was completed ahead of schedule and within budget.