Best Practice Knowledge Base

7.9 Fencing

Red deer behind a forest fence. Cuenca, Spain © Hernán Serrano-León

Fencing involves erecting physical barriers to protect areas from herbivory by wildlife, such as deer, and to prevent livestock intrusion. By excluding these animals, fencing facilitates the establishment and growth of young trees and understory vegetation, protecting natural forest regeneration. It can also be used to protect vulnerable plant populations from herbivory or trampling. The decision to implement fencing should be made early in the restoration process to ensure the protection of new growth. However, the high costs associated with installation and maintenance can limit the practicality of fencing, especially in big areas, leading to the exploration of alternative methods. Additionally, fencing may not be feasible in all situations due to landscape and connectivity considerations, among others.

I. Scientific articles

Nº	Title	Author	Year	Focus region	Language	Type	Summary	Link
1	Deer herbivory affects the functional diversity of forest floor plants via changes in competition-mediated assembly rules	Nishizawa et al.	2016	Japan	English	Experiment	Experiment comparing deer herbivory effects on fenced and control plots	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-016-1367-6
2	The Expanding Thread of Ungulate Browsing—A Review of Forest Ecosystem Effects and Management Approaches in Europe	Hardalau et al.	2024	Europe	English	Systematic review	Review on the effects of ungulate hervibory and different regulation methods in Europe	https://doi.org/10.3390/f15081311
3	Restoring mixed forests through conversion of Norway spruce stands: effects of fencing and mechanical site preparation on performance of planted beech and natural tree regeneration	Löf et al.	2023	Sweden	English	Experiment	Experiment of the effect of different treatments, including fencing, on natural regenetation and planted beech	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-023-01554-z
4	Impact of Fencing on the Recovery of the Ground Flora on Heavily Eroded Slopes of a Deciduous Forest	Godefroid et al.	2003	Belgium	English	Experiment	Fencing impact on the early stages of recovery of forest flora on eroded slopes impacted by recreation activities	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-002-2705-8
5	Experimental assessment of initial revegetation on abandoned paths in temperate deciduous forest	Roovers et al.	2005	Belgium	English	Experiment	Experiment on the effect of soil treatments, trampling exclusion and seed use on vegetation restoration on forest paths	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-109X.2005.tb00639.x
6	Shrubs protect oak seedlings against ungulate browsing in temperate broadleaved forests of conservation interest: A field experiment	Jensen et al.	2012	Sweden	English	Experiment	Experiment on the protection of oak seedlings from browsing by shrubs and fencing	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2011.11.022
7	The influence of fencing on seedling establishment during reforestation of oak stands: a comparison of artificial and natural regeneration techniques including costs	Löf et al.	2021	Sweden	English	Experiment	Influence of fencing on seedling establishment during reforestation of oak stands, comparing artificial and natural regeneration techniques	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-021-01369-w
8	Fences can support restoration in human-dominated ecosystems when rewilding with large predators	Bull et al.	2018	Scotland	English	Modelling approach	Simulating the effect of top-down regulation by wolves on deer, and the use of fences to modify this effect	https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12830
9	Fence Ecology: Frameworks for Understanding the Ecological Effects of Fences	McInturff et al.	2020	World, United States	English	Narrative review	Review on the ecological effects of fences	https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaa103